Disclaimer for browsers unsupported for new releases

Feedback & Problem Solving
#1

When users come to your site using a browser that is not supported by the site, how should we support the user best?

  • Can/Should we force users to update to the newest version of their browsers and in that way get access?

Is there a best practice for this? I’ve tried using old browser and visit a bunch of sites but very rarely I get any feedback and when I do it goes something like this:

“Your website is to old. Our site doesn’t support this version. Please download the latest version of your browser - Google Chrome (link) Mozilla Firefox (link) Internet Explorer (link)”

I see a bunch of problems with this approach:

  • What if the user intended interaction wouldn’t be affected by the features of the latest browser.
  • What if the user doesn’t use a browser suggested by the site which could be both offensive, irritating and confusing
  • You navigate the user away from the main site.

My suggestion

  • Don’t use a popup or a page singularly addressing the issue, instead use a integrated site message that only takes up a small part of the screen (i.e. info box), enough to address the topic using body text.
  • Inform the user about the situation without using external links. If they wish to address it, let them take responsibility for that themselves.
  • Only use the info box on the first page they visit the site and remove it after page update or page reload.

The problem with my approach is that I can’t find anyone addressing this issue the same way so I’m clearly missing something.

Thank you for any help and insight in this problem.

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#2

Personally, I’m all for this approach. It strikes a good balance between providing information and letting users decide what action (if any) to take. My only feedback would be on point 2 - the quicker you can get your user to upgrade to an appropriate browser, the less likely they are to abandon your site or get distracted by the process. That’s certainly an argument for providing the link to upgrade their browser.

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#4

My fear with the link is that an outbound link in a prime spot on the page will make customers leave the site and if they fail to make the upgrade, the idea that they might not be able to use the site without it could be increased. As of yet my company do not have any user input that describes this as an issue, I would be more inclined to put the link there if there is actual issues described by customers that have used old browsers.
The way I see it having the link or not is truly the most difficult question here. If there are performance issues with regards to this, yeah I would add the link but without recorded issues I’m afraid that this might be more harming than helping.

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#5

I agree as I believe that this is the most common cause of having an old browser as well. The delete feature is something I definitely want. Clicking an outbound link for this will also disrupt their user journey since they won’t be able to complete that task.

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#6

May I just ask - what browsers do you support?

@jdebari is right about dismissal option. I took that rather as a given when I should not have.