Using Debut Creative’s modest traffic as an example you can see I am getting traffic from a very wide array of browsers.

Google Analytics will even go so far as to break down the versions of said browsers. Amazingly, not only am I still getting IE6 traffic, but also IE 5.5.

Until about 8 months ago I was keeping an old XP box around for my IE6 testing. This made for great exercise up and down stairs, but wasn’t entirely practical. Using some relatively new web apps I’ve been able to streamline this process.

To make IE6 testing a little easier I started using Adobe Browserlab. This tool easily allows you to test the most popular browsers (a couple versions of IE, Firefox and a Safari build). While this tool is a keeper, and pretty fast, it doesn’t have the range of features I was looking for.

A fast browser test for the most popular browsers

Alternatively there was BrowserShots which featured a lot more browser tests – but with wait times up to half an hour, alterations and tweaks were taking way too long to test practically (not to mention the point-against for the blinding number of ads).

Enter BrowserCam. I first heard of it when @Plasticmind tweeted out an invitation to join the rather expensive service as a group to shave down the cost. The deal was too good to pass up! Here is a quick walk-through of the process of testing a site.

First, you create a site-profile to perform captures on; this can be several page if you like (it’s way to easy to make a capture list that is out of hand though). A huge win off the bat is the ability to select mulitples in resolution, as well as “full page” which allows you to scroll – not just view “above the fold”.

Next you can select the testing browsers and their OS from a snazzy list (My only complaint is that there aren’t savable presets. I find myself testing the same collection quite often).

The result is some paginated thumbnails that can be clicked on for detail. Like so;

So as a testing tool goes, Browsercam is everything I wanted – but there’s more, oh so much more. Remote Access! After a few clicks (I chose not to install a VNC at this point) I was able to directly play with my website on another OS (in this case OSX 10.5 I think).

You can fully access the OS for an hour, which is pretty amazing.

Loading time I can load pretty much all the browsers I showed selected in the image above in less than 10 minutes, but if you’re just doing a short test of a couple it could be as quick as 30 seconds. If you’re problem solving just a key browser that’s good enough.

No wonder BrowserCam comes with such a hefty annual price tag. It’s very practical when you consider what it might cost to run machines with every version of OS / browser involved. I really want to see this service evolve though. There might be some easier to absorb output format; maybe like a multipage PDF.

These tests are invaluable for making your site look as good as possible for as many viewers as possible. Of course, I should point out that the website doesn’t have to look exactly the same in every browser (http://dowebsitesneedtobeexperiencedexactlythesameineverybrowser.com/).

Browser testing takes time, but is almost always going to have a good return. With Microsoft supporting IE6 until 2012 you can be sure that this extra step is going to continue to be popular.

Issue One – Feb 2009 – Hey! I never asked for this! PDF 900KB

Introducing the first issue of the (likely sporadic) Debut Creative Newsletter. News and facts from the world wide web. Trends, Tips and Cake for everyone!

Keeping in Touch

It’s official, 2009 has been the busiest two months of my career. It has also been a time of learning like never before; which is why I have decided to create a periodic newsletter. It’s a great way for us to keep in touch, while sharing some of the stuff I’ve learned that can help with your website or services. As always, I’d love to hear what’s keeping you busy too. Here’s to growth.

Are You Using…

Gmail

It has long been hailed the best email client in the world, so what makes this the second most popular Google product? In addition to the snappiest inbox on the web, Gmail boasts many “labs” features that are unbelievably useful like Multiple Inboxes, chat, tasks manager and more. It has every feature you would expect from desktop software, but with the convenience of web accessibility. Add to this quick access to tools like Google Docs and Cal and you have a must-see app. I send and receive personal and work emails through my Gmail. I love it.

See gmail.com

Twitter

What are you doing? This question is the foundation upon which social media sensation Twitter was made upon. This site allows users to ‘tweet’ in 140 characters what they‘re up to, while following friends tweets (it’s hard to convey how cool and addicting this actually is). This service is growing in popularity every day. I have been using it to follow some of the world renowned rock-stars of the web design world and have gained invaluable insight into how these giants work. Don’t over-think it, sign up, start following and tweeting. RT @ArleyM FTW!

See twitter.com

Debut Site

I’m entering my third year with Debut Creative, and the website is little more than a business card.

Yes, as a web designer and developer it is incredibly ironic that I don’t have a proper site. I have rationalized it in several ways:

» I’m too busy with paying work
» I’m busy without promotion
» I love irony

Similarly, my long time buddy, and friendly rival Tim Lum has an equally un-website for his studio.

By way of friendly competition we have decided to take part in this years CSS Reboot. Essentially we are going to completely overhaul our sites and launch on May 1st 2009. After one year we are going to compare site traffic Before and After; whichever studio site comes out on top in terms of popularity, wins! The losing studio will then donate time to the charity of the winners choice. We’ll have more details a little closer to the date.

This is a friendly and competitive way for Tim and I to pit our SEO and marketing wits against one another while hopefully finishing the sites that we may otherwise never make the time for.

Put to the Test

End Users Site Testing

All too often our sites don’t perform the way we or our clients might like. The issue is the end-user: that demographic that is never as predictable as we might like – or are they?

Even those of us who design, develop and maintain sites every day can often be completely flummoxed by how the sites we make are used. Even great tools we use like Analytics fail to tell us why.

Website testing is a step we often skip. For one thing tight budgets and time lines require us to cut corners to deliver a product as quickly as possible. While site tests are very time consuming, they can identify some major issues the target audience may have at an early stage of development.

On several occasions I’ve performed the most basic website test: the wife review. Without fail I am amazed how Kristi interacts with a site for the first time. The balance between competing elements is always exposed – proving that even though it makes sense to a designer or developer, users may get off track.

There are many different ways to test a site (see the article linked below), and it’s never too late. In this economy it’s no time to scrap a site, but with some slight modifications a website can seem completely different and more usable to the end user.

» A great .net magazine article on website testing (Nov 2008): http://tinyurl.com/cgrr28

+ MORE RADICAL READING

» @cameronmoll – Good Designers Redesign, Great Designers Realign http://tinyurl.com/8nv7g

» @boagworld – 5 Options when Website Budgets get Slashed http://tinyurl.com/dlg3fx

Next Issue (if I still feel like it)

• Content Management Systems and You
• Website Accessibility
• A sneak peek at my self-proclaimed project of the year