With the advancement of technology, the number of devices, browsers, and operating systems people use to access websites is increasing. Hence, more than developing a website or an application compatible with only one or a limited number of browsers is required. 

Different browsers and operating systems may render your website differently based on its features. Therefore, some websites may not display correctly in some browsers but may function smoothly in other browsers. This behavior may occur because various browsers interpret website information differently, leading to compatibility issues. 

Therefore, ensuring seamless compatibility across them is essential as the digital world thrives on various platforms, browsers, devices, and operating systems. This blog will explore how automation testing with live interaction sessions empowers website user experience across multifaceted browsers, devices, and operating systems.

What is Live Interaction Testing?

Live interaction testing refers to the software testing method that allows testers to interact in real-time with the application, system, or website in an interactive manner. This type of testing requires testers to act as end-users to interact with the application and find UI errors and issues. 

Introduced within automation testing, this testing approach enables testers to assess and debug user interface or usability issues in real time in the software. Live interaction testing is beneficial for ensuring the smooth functionality of the software.

What are the Benefits of Live Interaction Testing?

Live interaction testing is more thorough, repetitive, and regressive than automated testing methods in finding user experience and real-world usability issues. However, ensuring comprehensive test coverage and seamless function of software is essential. Therefore, this testing is usually performed simultaneously with other testing methods, such as unit testing, integration testing, and automated UI testing.

Here are some of the benefits of performing live interaction testing.

• Real-time User Interaction: Testers can assess, report, and debug the errors in the system in real time by simulating user interaction with the software. 
• Find User Interface Errors: With live interaction testing, you can find UI errors that an end-user might encounter while using the application. It includes clicking buttons, entering data, or navigation errors. 
• Find Unforeseen Errors: Since live interaction testing does not require testers to follow pre-defined test cases, they can explore software by imitating end-users. Hence, this increases the probability of discovering unexpected issues, defects, or vulnerabilities.
• Following User-Centric Approach: Since testers simulate real users while performing live interaction testing, this enables them to focus on user satisfaction. With the user-centric testing approach, you can meet the needs and expectations of your target audience.
• Real-time Reporting: In live interaction testing, testers can document the bugs, defects, or errors in real time. Moreover, developers can take action and provide real-time feedback through regular reporting. 
• Continuous Improvement in Quality Assurance: Live interaction testing is a constant testing approach that can be conducted at any stage of the development process, from designing to software maintenance. This method allows you to refine the software performance and user experience with various iterations. 
• Find Compatibility Issues: You can resolve compatibility and responsive errors on different devices, platforms, and operating systems.

Why Perform Live Interaction Testing on LambdaTest?

LambdaTest offers powerful features to accelerate your testing efficiency on the cloud while ensuring error-free software. LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform that lets you run manual and automated tests at scale with 3000+ real devices, browsers, and OS combinations, including Chrome and Safari browsers online. It allows you to perform live interaction testing on a scalable, secure, and reliable cloud environment as per your selected specific OS credentials or browser configurations. At the same time, it does not disrupt the automated tests running to debug the live interaction error raised during the session. Furthermore, you can seamlessly track the overall test cycle on LambdaTest and report the issue effectively. 

Various Capabilities and Features of Live Interaction Testing on LambdaTest

In this section, we will highlight the features of LambdaTest’s live interaction testing to ensure web applications or websites work seamlessly across various devices and browsers. With real-time interaction, visual comparison, and integration capabilities, this tool enables a comprehensive testing experience. 

Let’s discuss this tool’s characteristics that enable testers and developers to collaborate effectively and create a smooth interface. 

• The desktop application of LambdaTest allows users to conduct responsive testing with speed and efficiency to ensure your website adapts to different screen sizes and resolutions.
• With LambdaTest, you can interact with the website features in real time to identify and address issues, leading to a more dynamic and responsive testing process. 
• It enables testers to assess the website or app’s functionality and user interface issues by comparing the device-view side by side.
• You get the flexibility to test the responsiveness of your website or application on custom device sizes, allowing you to facilitate seamless user experience in less common devices. 
• With LambdaTest, you can capture the screenshots and screen recordings of your live interaction testing sessions for easy sharing and record keeping.
• It allows you to seamlessly collaborate and communicate with team members on bug management tools, making reporting, assigning, and tracking issues easy.

Supported OS and Frameworks on LambaTest

LambdaTest is a cloud-based testing platform with extensive OS and framework support. Let’s delve into the different versions of these platforms, browsers, and operating systems, providing you with the features to test your applications in various environments efficiently. 

Windows	Windows 11, 10, 8, and 8.1, 7, Windows XP
macOS	Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, and all major macOS
Browsers	All browsers (Safari browser is now supported)
Android	Mainly all versions up to 13.
iOS	All arrangements are supported up to iPhone 14 Pro Max.

This information might have changed, and it’s essential to check the official LambdaTest support documentation or contact LambdaTest support for the most current and accurate information regarding supported operating systems and frameworks.

Performing Live Interaction Testing With LambdaTest

Follow these steps to perform live interaction testing for your website on LambdaTest:

Step 1: Open the main dashboard of the LambdaTest tool and go to the Real-time testing option from the left side menu bar. Here, you will get the opportunity to test the website or an application on your configured settings. 

Step 2: Select the browser testing option from the left menu bar and enter your website URL. Select the browser and OS version configuration to interact with the website live. Once you select the browser and OS version, click the Start button.

Step 3: You can view and interact with the website on the selected browsers and operating systems. Check all the features and functionalities of your website, including the menu bar, links, buttons, contact forms, etc., to ensure they are working as intended.

Step 4: Take a screenshot or screen recording, mark the bugs, and report it on your preferred integrated tools like Jira, Slack, Asana, etc. You can assign the project to a developer to resolve the bugs as per the priority and efficiently track the tool’s progress.

Below are the steps to follow for performing live interaction testing on mobile devices:

Step 1: Select the App Testing option from the left side menu bar and select the platform you want to perform the live interaction testing, Android or iOS, from the toggle button.

Step 2: You can enter the .zip file of your mobile app if you want to test it on iOS or join the .apk file for an Android app.

Step 3: Now, select the device configuration from the dashboard, which includes device type, smartphone brand name, and OS. 

Step 4: Once you select the preferred settings for app testing, click the Start button. It will allow you to view and interact with your application on the selected device.

Step 5: Assess all the features, including buttons, page transitions, navigation, etc., of your mobile application to ensure they are working perfectly. Like the website testing feature, you can report and track the bug on the integrated tool used by your development team.

Note: Following the above steps, you can test the app on the iOS platform (including both iPhone and iPad).

In the Automation section from the left side menu bar, you can get options for Web Automation and App Automation. In the Web Automation feature, you can perform the automation testing on your build on the framework you have used to develop the website. Here, you can set the CI/CD tools to automate the Build-Test-Deploy cycle and document your progress on the seamless cloud platform.

On the other hand, App Automation allows you to perform live interaction testing on a real device cloud to assess your app and debug it for responsive and compatible issues. You also get the support of various automation frameworks you can integrate with LambdaTest, such as Appium, Espresso, XCTest, etc. You can analyze command and app logs and take screenshots or videos to test/debug native apps quickly. At the same time, you can integrate third-party apps or tools like Jira, Asana, Slack, and Microsoft Teams to get a seamless testing and collaborative experience.

Conclusion

Effective software testing involves making sure your web applications or software work across a variety of operating systems and browsers. For that, testers and developers perform various types of testing, reporting, and debugging processes on repeat. 

Automation testing coupled with live interaction sessions is the core of web and mobile app testing that allows your team to interact with the website or application in real-time to find and resolve errors. Hence, LambdaTest ensures your software is compatible across various platforms, operating systems, and browsers. Moreover, it allows you to make your testing process more efficient, effective, and user-centric with live interaction testing, helping you excel in the competitive market of the digital realm.