Nine practical guidelines for improving responsive design testing

Responsive web design refers to the design that can be made from a variety of devices ( Including mobile phones and tablets ) Visited web pages . Take responsive web design as an example , The layout adapts to the screen size and browsing direction of the device . Using responsive web design can improve users' browsing experience , That way, users can easily access your website from any location ; If the enterprise wants to retain customers and interact with them , Responsive web design is the best choice .

Professional web designers can help turn ordinary websites into responsive websites . They offer a wide range of services , From creating a design optimized for the mobile end , To create a new website from scratch , To name but a few .

Responsive Web Design (RWD) It is the latest trend in web development . It has become a basic design to consider , To meet the needs of customers ： Let the company cover a wider audience at a feasible cost . Strict guidelines must be followed when developing responsive websites , For example, browser compatibility testing .

Given the growing popularity of mobile devices today , The importance of responsive web design has increased significantly . Now? , about Web The designer 、 For developers and testers , Easy access to websites across different devices , Creating websites and applications that can be accessed on mobile devices has become very important .

To make the website easy to access on mobile devices , Web designers must ensure that the website can flexibly adapt to different screen sizes .

Browser compatibility is key

Prototype design is an important part of software development process . To ensure that mobile devices respond in the same way as larger devices , Testing on a variety of popular mobile devices with different screen resolutions and browser sizes is crucial . Make sure there is a consistent response on all screens .

Any adjustments required for changes in device resolution or size ( Such as scaling or resizing ) It has to be done automatically , And the content should not be resized or reordered . Cross browser testing ensures that the software runs as expected on all browsers and devices .

Pay attention to design compatibility

Responsive design testing is designed to ensure that the functionality of a web page or application continues to work on multiple devices . Although it is impossible to test all the equipment , But it's important to use a lot of equipment for testing , Because mobile website traffic has been rising steadily . Responsive design depends on the width of the target device 、 Device screen resolution and pixel density .

As mobile devices become more diverse , Defining and testing responsive design templates is becoming increasingly difficult . However , With the help of comprehensive testing technology , You can ensure that your design is suitable for a variety of responsive web page layouts .

In the mobile device testing market , There are multiple brands to choose from . Responsive design testing requires consideration of equipment combinations . Although the test should cover most common devices on the market , But it's hard to test every mobile device comprehensively .

These guidelines will show you how to ensure that images and other elements do not overlap in your responsive web design . Your test plan should cover all major equipment used by consumers ： From desktops to smartphones . If you are working on a customer project , Need to get some information about the equipment from the customer . Besides , Many testers fail to realize that two devices that look similar will bring completely different results .

for instance , A small difference in screen size can lead to a huge difference in the amount of time it takes to load and use a website . A good way for your team to determine if there are any problems is , Get information from customers about the equipment their customers are using .

Make sure your site's navigation system is accurate

The responsive navigation bar helps you navigate your website on your mobile device . You can quickly access different parts of the site , And return to the previous page visited . After the user's equipment size changes , The navigation bar should also change . The navigation bar is used to quickly navigate to different parts of your website or different pages . The navigation bar usually contains five or more elements . Make sure your navigation bar is appropriate for all devices and browsers .

When testing responsive websites , It is important to consider RWD Different screen sizes exist in . Make sure your website works perfectly with the smallest mobile screen and the largest desktop monitor , You may need a specific width or layout . Testing that allows end-to-end browsing is important here , Because users should be able to access your website from screens of all sizes and devices of all types .

Turn to parallel testing

Working in parallel on your mobile and desktop versions is the best way to test . This will improve your efficiency , And let you create a smoother and responsive web design experience for users . If there are no parallel tests , You can't determine the quality level of the web page . The test is for RWD All stages of the testing process are critical . Testing is critical at all stages of the responsive web design process .

Although it may be more cost-effective to test the desktop and mobile versions separately , But that doesn't give you the whole picture . Parallel testing is the key to creating a seamless user experience across multiple devices . With the help of parallel testing , You can use it on your mobile phone 、 Get the same experience on tablets and desktops . This will allow you to get a better user experience through mobile responsive web design .

Responsive web design is a multi device experience . Users want to be on their desktops 、 Find the same content and features on tablets and mobile devices . With the help of parallel testing , You can ensure that the page content is well suited for browsing on multiple devices . please remember , Testing is a very important part of the responsive web design process . If you don't test , You can't be sure how well users experience accessing your site across devices and browsers .

Don't rely entirely on functional testing

Code testing does not verify that buttons and links are properly aligned on all browsers and devices . Functional tests can confirm that the layout is unified on different browsers and devices , Ensure that users have a consistent experience . Functional tests confirm that the site functions work according to the code . However, this test does not confirm that the buttons and links are correctly aligned on all browsers and devices . Although manual testing is most effective , But it doesn't take into account the user experience .

for instance , You may want to test different browsers and devices before putting the site online . This is why successful publishing processes often require automated visual regression testing . But the problem is , Writing tests to check alignment is slow and expensive . therefore , To reduce costs , And give priority to the functions that customers are most concerned about , You often find yourself skipping such tests .

Check your website on raw and existing devices

Testing your website on different mobile devices and browsers will help you find layout problems . Sometimes , Due to the specific configuration , Problems are not visible in your production environment . for instance , One phone's browser can handle more or less pixels per inch than another . Define your test parameters . Make sure you have the most important equipment for the audience . The purpose of your website is to get more traffic and sales .

You want your website to stand out , But I don't want to spend a lot of time on design . One time prototyping tools will help you design and test wireframes and prototypes on a variety of devices . A one-time prototyping tool that simulates daily browsing can help you gain insight into how users interact with the web pages you design . By simulating various browsers , You can test how your website looks when browsing on different mobile devices .

Test on actual equipment with the help of manual test or automatic test , You can ensure that users get the best mobile experience . Testing on a real device can give you an in-depth understanding of how your website is presented in different situations .

Taking all these factors into account , It is obviously very important to test on actual equipment , Whether it's a manual test , Or with the help of some form of automated testing provided by the equipment . This allows you to be sure that your website is effective 、 How attractive and easy it is to browse .

Test your design in various display modes

Responsive design testing allows users to check the site / How applications are displayed on mobile devices in different states . You should be able to browse in both horizontal and vertical modes . There are several tools that can help you achieve responsive design .

Responsive design is a web page design that changes the layout of the page according to the device used to access the page . for instance , Larger laptops provide more space to display content , Smartphones have smaller screens , Controls and content need to be displayed in different ways to fit the screen size . Responsive design “ change ” Focus on such media queries ： Eliminate complex programming for different screen sizes , And offers several advantages .

“ Responsive Web Design ”(RWD) This term represents a concept of web design and development , Not a specific design method .“ Response type ” The term "web site" refers to the way a web site responds to devices that browse it . It can adjust the layout 、 picture / Elements such as text size , Let the website be in the best state of browsing across all devices .

Reduce website loading time

You and your employees need to go out a lot . When the high-speed network is unavailable , Having a version of the web site that can be quickly loaded on a mobile device is crucial . Regardless of the available network speeds , Mobile websites should always load quickly , And it should be easier to use and navigate than the desktop version . They should also be lightweight , Because the screen size is often smaller than a standard monitor .

Progressive type Web Applications are a new approach , Used to create 、 start-up 、 Measure and maintain mobile optimized websites . The main idea is to make a website similar to an application , The site can also work offline 、 Immediately load . This makes the website more responsive , No problem loading , Even if the network is slow or unavailable . To ensure that the mobile version of your website loads quickly , Consider optimizing your picture .

Make sure you follow the file size guidelines established by different browsers . for instance ,Chrome and Safari Limit the size of pictures on your mobile device to 32MB. Providing a great user experience is critical to every website , Especially for mobile websites . Studies have shown that , Users are generally dissatisfied with websites that can not run normally on mobile devices . With the increasing use of mobile Internet , The number of consumers using mobile devices to access the Internet will also increase .

Best responsive web design tool

LT Browser It is a multi in one Web Browse application , So you can get up to 50 Multiple Android and iOS Test your website or... Vertically or horizontally on the screen of the device Web Applications , It also has an app for websites and Web Mobile friendly tester tools for applications . With a unique side-by-side view , You can debug your website on different browsers at the same time /Web Applications .

Just click , You can make screenshots of the website in full screen mode . In order to improve work efficiency , It also provides multi label support 、 Data storage mode 、 Cloud synchronization and other useful functions .LT Browser It is an Android and iOS Advanced mobile browser , It can help you create a large number of next-generation websites . It is a powerful mobile friendly testing tool , It allows you to check all aspects of the website before it goes online , Make sure the web page looks good on all devices .

LT Browser It is a convenient way to test the responsiveness of web pages on your mobile device . With one touch full page screenshots or video recording , You can immediately and intuitively share design errors with your team . The shared test results will contain comments in seconds 、 Mark 、 Comments and test details , To save you time , And don't bother explaining how your website looks on mobile devices .

Original title ：11 useful guidelines to improve responsive design testing, author ：Jamie Davidson