What is a cross platform?

Have you ever had a website built by an expert? Then you must have been surprised by the jargon during those first meetings. Sometimes it seems like web designers speak a completely different language. They speak of UI and UX design, Javascript, CSS, HTML and also try to awaken your interest in all kinds of completely new terms, programmes and possibilities for building and further optimising the website. If you have ever had a website built, you have probably heard of the term cross platform. 

"The website is now properly cross platform." For a web designer, it may be immediately clear what is meant by this. You, however, are left with question marks in your eyes. High time to change this. Because what exactly is cross platform? What does it entail? And how important is it for your website? 

Definition of cross platform 

The term already sounds unfamiliar to many people. That is why it is even more difficult to hear that cross-platform can have several meanings. In the world of web design it can also mean several things. It can mean that a software programme has been used which can be seen on several types of computers. But in most cases it means something else. Namely, that the website is easy to navigate in all browsers and on all operating systems. In addition, the layout should also look good. 

Of course, this does not mean that the website has to look exactly the same on every platform. There may well be differences. Sometimes that is necessary. As long as the web page is compatible with multiple operating systems. That way you won't miss out on any visitors. 

How is cross platform being worked on? 

Now that it is clear what cross platform exactly means, you are naturally curious as to how it works. This is all done with the help of good programming language. In general, we can say that there are three different languages in the world of the wide web. Think of CSS, Javascript and HTML. With new, powerful programming languages and techniques, the website can not only be made very beautiful (because let's face it, beautiful websites are abundant!), but the findability and the appearance on every browser are also improved. It is important that the website works properly on all possible browsers and operating systems. 

To be able to guarantee cross platform, it is sometimes necessary not to work with certain systems. If certain animations and videos cannot be read, then of course that is a waste of the user environment. That is why we look for extra functionalities on the website that can be read by anyone and at any time. This is the reason why most web designers do not use the once so popular Flash, because it is no longer supported by various operating systems.