Cross Platform Compatibility

I am an web site reviewer over at Design Snack. I see a lot of web sites come in and out. Some are pretty good! Others… are not so good. But one of the major factors that sways my vote is cross platform compatibility. So often I’ll find a great web site, but it won’t work properly in this web browser or that. That is simply bad web design! So, what do we do about that? Well, let’s look at some stats first.

In July of this year, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer commanded a massive 78.98% of browser usage. That is massive. Firefox came in a distant second with 14.37% of browser usage. Then came Safari with 4.56% and then came Opera with 0.89%. (Click Here for the full chart)

Even though most web browsers use Internet Explorer, over 20% don’t. That percentage is worth considering - especially when the majority of the… how shall I say it… dedicated surfers use better browsers like Safari and Firefox. Considering this, web sites need to be cross platform (and browser) compatable.

How do you do this?
Well, there are many ways.

The best way is by checking your web site/blog/showcase/etc in each browser. It may be a little time consuming - but worth it. My suggestion is to design the site with your favorite browser, and then when you’re done (or almost done), check other browsers. That will save you time.

[Note: All the major browsers can be downloaded from their respective designer's web sites. A simple Google search will yeild the desired results.]

But even so, there are the other browsers under 1%. And what if you accidentally miss something?
Well, there are a few precautions you can take.

First of all, you can have someone else double check your work.

This tip is crucial for spelling. Spelling errors are quite embarrassing - especially when it’s someone’s name. I have been guilty of that in the past few days. Thankfully, no detest, anger, or resentment have surface.
At any rate - either a client, co-worker, friend, or family member can easily take care of your second pair of eyeballs. It is another simple, but often overlooked, step that can help greatly.

Secondly, you can validate your page.

It is a simple process, and needed if you want respect from the… better web designers out there. w3.org has a simple and easy XHTML Validator and CSS Validator. Both services can check your code by entering a URL, a simple file upload, or even by direct input. If you site’s XHTML and CSS is valid, it will save you a world of trouble and headaches in bug related e-mails.

As for the third tip, I’d like to hear what y’all have to say.
What do you do to ensure you don’t have an un-expected glitch in your web site?