Research Tips

Browser Compatibility

Have you ever completed an online questionnaire that seemed to be very poorly formatted? If so, it’s possible that its creator was just careless, but it’s also possible that they didn’t check to make sure that the survey would look and function properly with the particular version of Web browser that you were using. At any given time, a wide variety of different versions of Web browsers are in use, and the same survey can look and function differently using different browsers. Therefore, before launching a Web survey, it’s a good idea to consider what types of Web browsers potential respondents are likely to use and to test the survey using all of those. Not doing this can annoy users, damage the reputation of the organization sponsoring or implementing the survey, or lead to skewed results (if, for example, only those with the most recent versions of Web browsers or a particular brand of Web browser are able to view the questionnaire and submit results).