Understanding Browser Compatibility Matrix
What is Browser Compatibility Matrix?
While developing a website, developers are likely to have a list of browsers and devices they expect their sites to be compatible with. When this list of browsers and devices is finalized and documented, it is often referred to as the browser compatibility matrix or browser support matrix.
In other words, the browser compatibility matrix is a formalized list of browsers (including mobile and desktop versions), operating systems, and different device types. In most cases, it also lists the number of device-browser-OS combinations a website is not compatible with.
Why do Teams Need To Create A Browser Compatibility Matrix?
The web is highly fragmented and there are multiple browsers available for accessing web content. Additionally, every browser has its latest and legacy versions. These browsers are accessed via various devices with unique operating systems, which exacerbates the fragmentation scenario.
Naturally, organizations or businesses can’t test their websites on every single device-browser-OS combination available digitally.
Here’s where the browser compatibility matrix comes into the picture. As mentioned earlier, a browser compatibility matrix serves to limit the development and test coverage to a specific set of browsers and devices.
Restricting the number of supported browsers helps teams focus on the most popular ones relevant to their target audience. It also helps reduce the website’s exposure to cross-browser bugs. Additionally, testing and optimizing websites for the latest versions of browsers will enable developers to align the site with the latest technologies.
Data Points to Consider for a Browser Compatibility Matrix
To evaluate accurate browser usage across specific platforms or device types, teams need to consider certain data points. These include:
1. Platform based research: It helps understand the medium via which a user visits a website. For example, it helps determine whether a user is coming from a mobile, desktop, or tablet device, including its underlying OS (Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, etc.).
2. Desktop browser usage: Desktop browser usage for a particular operating system varies depending on the geographic location. Given this, teams must check for all the possible desktop browser-OS combinations popular among the target audience.
3. Mobile browser usage: There are multiple browsers available for mobile platforms (iOS, Android) like Safari, Chrome, UC, etc. Find out which mobile browser is the most popular among the target audience and ensure that browser is a part of the browser compatibility matrix.
Collating data from the sources listed above will help teams better understand their audience (local or global). Additionally, research-based on these data points will help teams better understand the device-browser-OS environments most relevant to the website’s audience.
As the browser compatibility matrix helps developers and testers understand their goals better, creating it in the initial stages of development is the best practice.
