How to test your site on multiple devices
People aren’t generally forthcoming when they find that they don’t like a website. They just leave, quickly. They leave because they can’t find what they’re looking for easily, or the site takes too long to load. They leave because it uses a plug-in that’s not supported on their device or it displays poorly.
What’s more, device specs play a huge part in how your site performs. Smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers and TVs all have different screen sizes, pixel densities, operating systems and input methods (e.g. touch vs mouse). Do you know how well your site performs on these devices?
With so many on the market – many of which you don’t have access to – it’s useful to know of a few free online tools that let you test your site on multiple devices. Testing is the only way to see what users see, and to ultimately improve your site’s design.
1. Responsinator
Responsinator is a free tool that gives you a quick look of how your website displays on the most popular devices. Simply enter your site URL and choose one or more devices.
2. QuirkTool’s Screenfly
As with Responsinator, simply enter your site URL into QuirkTools’ Screenfly to see real-time displays on a range of mobile devices, including netbooks, laptops, tablets, smartphones and TVs. And best of all, it’s free!
3. Browserstack
This is more of a premium service as it offers rapid functional testing in real browsers. Using emulators on their own server, Browserstack’s responsive design testing takes into account the operating system and browser software – not just screen size – in more than 200 desktop and mobile devices.
4. Chrome’s Device Mode & Mobile Emulation
Our developers love this tool as it brings the insights of mobile testing right to the browser tab. With Google Chrome’s Device Mode & Mobile Emulation, you can visualise and inspect CSS media queries, test responsive designs in different screen sizes and resolutions, evaluate performance using the network emulator, and even simulate device input.
See what your clients see
The fact is that mobile has now overtaken desktop as the dominant platform for accessing the web. Responsive or mobile-friendly design is now what users expect and if you’re site isn’t up to scratch, they won’t tell you – they just leave, quickly.
If you’re curious about how your site displays on various mobile and desktop devices, why not see for yourself using one of these tools. Or, if you already know your site needs an upgrade, contact iFactory today for a free consultation.
