Can you characterize a user by their choice of Internet browser?

I would like to know if usability is different across different Internet browsers and if this is caused by varying demographics. Below, are some interrelated questions addressing this issue:

1. Does age, gender, or profession affect a user's choice of browser?


2. Are users of certain browsers more tech savvy and do they muddle through usability problems more easily than users of the remaining browsers?



3. When conducting usability tests, will forcing the participants to use a browser that is not their preferred browser corrupt the findings of the test?

Answer

1. 
   

   It's consistently been shown that Firefox is more popular with younger demographics than IE and Chrome is the most popular browser amongst young and tech savvy users. IE is still most used by older users. Don't take this to mean you can assume your IE users are old or that your Chrome users are young, however.

   
   


2. 
   

   Historically it's certainly been the case that less tech-savvy users are less likely to install different browsers, thus Internet Explorer and Safari are common on the PCs and Macs of less tech-savvy people. Chrome was shown to be a bit more popular for users that spent more time on the internet but the survey is from 2010; I haven't been able to find much recent information broken down by demographics.

   
   

   However since Firefox and Chrome have grown (and have been very effective at simplifying the install process) the browser wars are less tied to tech savviness; it's no longer an indication of tech-savvy to have a different browser installed.

   
   
   

   Don't just assume that because you have 60% chrome users that your demographics can be extrapolated from that figure. Make your own demographics surveys and ask these demographic questions manually when doing testing. This is the best way ot know if your assumptions appear to fit reality.

   
   


3. 
   

   Of course asking people to use software they're not comfortable with will affect usability. Whether it will "corrupt the findings of a test" is questionable; structure your test so that the browser is all but irrelevant.

   
   

   Unless your page requires use of browser-specific features like bookmarks I don't see why allowing your users to pick Chrome, Firefox or IE makes a significant difference as long as your site displays and performs comparably in all of them. Letting their use their typical browser is "normal" for them, forcing them to use otherwise will likely have a greater effect than the effects caused by different browsers regardless of user comfort.

   
   

   Consider A/B testing users with the different browsers if you feel this does have an effect. Browsers can certainly have an effect on the experience if you're asking them to do things like install add ons or download/install files. If it's a brief test you can easily run a within/between subjects design asking multiple or the same subjects to perform the same tasks in different browsers.