Ultimate Guide
to Cross Browser Testing with GenAI

What is Cross-Browser Testing?

Cross browser testing is the process of verifying that a website or web application works consistently across multiple browsers, browser versions, operating systems, and devices. It helps ensure that users have a uniform experience regardless of the environment they are accessing your site from.

Why is Cross-Browser Testing Important?

Cross-browser testing is important for every business to deliver a reliable and optimal user experience across various browsers and platforms. A consistent experience across browsers directly impacts usability, accessibility, and conversions. Here are some reasons why cross-browser testing is essential:

• Diverse Browser Usage

  Users access websites through different browsers such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox, IE, Opera, and Edge. Each browser uses its own rendering engine, which can interpret code differently. Without proper testing, the same website might function well on one browser but look or behave differently on another.

• Varied Devices and OS

  People access the web through a range of devices and operating systems such as Windows desktops, iPhones, Android phones, tablets, and more. Each combination may display your site differently due to hardware capabilities, screen sizes, and OS-level quirks.

• Rendering and Performance Issues

  Some modern web features, like CSS Grid or certain JavaScript APIs, may not be fully supported across all browsers. If not tested, this can result in broken layouts, missing functionality, or performance issues like slow page loads.

• Avoiding Broken Layouts and Forms

  Form validations, buttons, navigation menus, and modals can behave inconsistently across browsers. These issues can frustrate users and lead to higher bounce rates or lost conversions if they aren’t caught early through testing.

• Supports Accessibility and SEO

  Browsers impact how assistive technologies read your content. Ensuring compatibility helps maintain accessibility standards and keeps your site usable and visible to search engines across devices and platforms.

Best Practices of Cross-Browser Testing

Effective website cross-browser testing requires the right strategy and tools. Take a look at these steps:

• Base your browser and device matrix on real user analytics so you can prioritize the combinations that matter most.
• Start testing early in the development lifecycle to catch browser-specific issues before they become harder to fix.
• Use both physical devices and cloud-based platforms to cover a wider range of environments without maintaining a large in-house lab.
• Automate repetitive test cases using cross-browser automation testing tools to speed up the process and reduce manual effort.
• Focus on testing the most critical user flows first, such as sign-up, login, search, and checkout.
• Add visual regression testing to your suite to catch layout inconsistencies and design issues across browsers and devices.

Types of Cross-Browser Testing

Cross-browser testing can be classified based on the method and the type of validation being performed.

How to Perform Cross-Browser Testing?

Follow this step-by-step process to execute cross-browser testing effectively:

• 1. Identify Target Browsers and Devices

  Define which browsers, versions, operating systems, and screen sizes to test based on traffic data.

• 2. List Out Test Scenarios

  Prioritize core workflows, business-critical pages, and components that impact conversions.

• 3. Choose a Testing Approach

  Decide between manual or automated testing, or use a hybrid model depending on the scope and team size.

• 4. Use Cross-Browser Testing Tools

  Leverage cloud-based cross-browser testing software to avoid maintaining internal device labs.

• 5. Run Tests and Capture Results

  Execute tests, collect screenshots or logs, and record browser-specific issues.

• 6. Fix Bugs and Retest

  After fixing the issues, rerun the tests across the affected browsers to ensure stability.

Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Some common challenges in cross-browser testing and their solutions:

• Inconsistent rendering between browsers can break layouts or affect how elements appear. To resolve this, use standardized HTML and CSS practices, and test on real devices or with a cloud-based platform.
• Limited access to physical devices makes it hard to test across the full range of browsers and systems. This challenge can be solved by using cross-browser testing online tools and cloud-based infrastructure that offer access to multiple environments.
• High test script maintenance occurs when automation breaks due to minor UI changes. To reduce this, adopt tools with auto-healing and low-maintenance scripting features.
• Manual testing takes too much time and delays releases. To speed up testing without losing coverage, parallel testing and automation should be implemented.
• Popups and dynamic content can cause tests to fail unpredictably. These elements can be handled more reliably using smart wait conditions and dynamic locators in your automation scripts.

Why Testsigma for Cross-Browser Testing?

Testsigma is an Agentic-AI-powered codeless test automation platform that simplifies cross-browser automation testing. It allows you to write tests in plain English and run them in the cloud across a wide range of browser and device combinations.

Key Features:

• Cloud Device and Browser Lab: Access 3000+ browser, device, and OS combinations without setup.
• No-Code Test Authoring: Create tests quickly using plain English or AI-generated steps.
• Parallel Execution: Run tests across multiple browsers simultaneously to save time.
• Visual Testing: Detect layout and visual bugs with automated screenshots.
• Accessibility Testing Support: Validate accessibility compliance to ensure inclusivity.
• CI/CD Integration: Easily plug into your existing DevOps pipelines for continuous cross-browser testing.
• Unified Platform: Test mobile, desktop, web, API, Salesforce, and SAP applications from one place.
• Test Reports: Get detailed logs, screenshots, and status reports for faster debugging.
• Self-Healing Test Maintenance: Keep your test suite stable with automatic updates to broken test steps.

How to Perform Cross-Browser Testing in Testsigma

Here’s how to perform cross-browser testing in Testsigma step by step:

Step 1. Prerequisites

• Sign up for Testsigma. Avail the 30-day free trial available.

Step 2. Create a Project

• From the dashboard, create a new project.
• Choose Web Application as the project type for cross-browser testing.

Step 4. Create and Run Test Cases

• Write test steps in plain English, referencing the UI identifiers.
• Choose your execution environment:
  • Testsigma Lab
  • Local Machine
  • Private Grid
  • Third-party integrations like BrowserStack or Sauce Labs

Step 5. Create a Test Plan

• Create a new test plan and select the Test Plan Type as Cross-Browser Testing.
• Choose the test suites, environments, and browsers you want to include.
• Execute the test plan with a single click.

Step 6. Analyze Test Reports

• Get detailed, environment-specific reports with screenshots.
• Compare results across multiple browser and OS combinations side by side.

Conclusion

Cross-browser testing ensures your website delivers a seamless and functional experience to users, no matter how they access it. By identifying inconsistencies across browsers and devices early, teams can resolve issues before they reach production. This improves accessibility, usability, and customer satisfaction while reducing the risk of lost conversions. With the right strategy and tools in place, cross-browser testing becomes a critical component of quality software delivery.