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IEEE Virtual User Experience Lab

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IEEE Virtual User Experience Lab

The IEEE Virtual User Experience (UX) Lab offers IEEE website managers and IEEE.org contributors with tools to test their digital content virtually, at no cost, and to collaborate with the Experience Design team on website maintenance efforts.

Please email the Experience Design Team at exd-team@ieee.org if you need assistance with using the tools listed on this page.

Please note: The tools listed on this page are only recommendations and not mandatory to use. Most tools are available online and free to use/download, unless noted otherwise.

On this page:

Browser emulators

Browser emulator tools allow webmasters and digital publishers to visualize their content on different browsers through one interface.

Why is this important? As browser technology evolves, it is critical to test digital content to ensure it renders on various browsers without issues. 

Use the following links to test your content and see how it renders on different browsers. 

Please note: some tools may require a public facing URL of your website for testing.

Mobile testing tools

Mobile testing allows webmasters to validate that digital content renders well on all types of devices and remove any issues before their content is made live. 

Why is this important? As digital mediums are evolving, it has become important to ensure that content can be accessed on different types of devices other than desktop.

  • Google mobile-friendly test: This tool can test whether a visitor can use your page on a mobile device. Just enter a page URL to see how your page scores.
  • Responsinator.com: This is an online device simulation tool that helps you validate whether your site is responsive and visualize your content on different devices such as Android, Apple iPhone and iPad, in both portrait and landscape views.

Accessibility tools

"Accessibility" is generally used to refer to the usability of a tool or object by the broadest possible range of users including those with physical, cognitive, or technological disabilities. Web accessibility is the ease with which people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, interact with, and contribute to the web. Web accessibility also benefits others, including older people with changing abilities due to aging. 

Why is this important? Based on the IEEE Accessibility Statement, IEEE digital publishers are encouraged to deliver content at higher accessibility levels (Level AA or Level AAA) whenever possible.

Use the following tools to test for accessibility of your content and website(s).

View and download the IEEE accessibility tip sheet (PDF, 260 KB)

Please note: Some accessibility fixes may require web development efforts (that are not provided by these tools).

Search engine optimization (SEO) tools

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the act of modifying the content and structure of web pages to increase traffic. SEO affects the user experience of a website and the performance of that site's pages in organic search results on the major search engines (such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ask, AOL, Baidu, etc.).

Why is this important? Typically about one-third of site visits come through organic searches. Also, since IEEE.org is using a version of Google Custom Search Engine (CSE) for site search, which uses those same algorithms as the Google.com engine, any improvements made to content across the IEEE digital presence will improve results on both platforms.

View the IEEE SEO Guidelines

The following tools can help you improve your website’s SEO:

  • Try the Google Search Console to improve your site content
  • Use the Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress to manage your site SEO (available in free and paid options)
  • Backlink Checker: An online tool that identifies links that point to any given URL. It is helpful to inform content migration, redirect setup, and content update processes.
  • Redirects: Available for creating redirects within the "www.ieee.org" domain resulting in a shortened URL for IEEE sites. Available to IEEE employees, members, and volunteers maintaining digital content for Regions, Sections, Councils, Societies, Chapters, and Student Branches.

Analytics tools

Web analytics tools collect raw data (from server-based log files) about the actions visitors take when they come to a website and convert the data into useful reports for business users.

Why is this important? Analytics can give you the power to know how visitors use your web content and what you can do to improve the visitors' experience.

  • Google Analytics is a free, web-based analytics tool that collects and reports data about visitor activity on a website.
  • Page speed insights helps analyze and improve website loading speed and performance
  • Google Tag Manager helps in managing your analytics tags in one place and helps you monitor impact of your content and campaigns

Site maintenance tools

These tools allow webmasters to keep their site health in check for accessibility, SEO, content quality, and brand compliance. The following tools (paid and free options), allow webmasters to keep their website up-to-date. 

Why is this important? Site maintenance is critical to stay up-to-date with content and technology updates. Using automated tools for maintenance checks allows webmasters to stay on top of needed updates.

  • Try the Google Search Console to improve your site content  
  • Try the Siteimprove Chrome plugin to check your web pages individually
  • If you are interested in getting a Siteimprove license for a full set of site maintenance features, request a demo by emailing exd-team@ieee.org. (Please note: this will be a paid offering.)
  • If you already have a Siteimprove license, you can use a Siteimprove WordPress plugin to integrate your WordPress CMS with Siteimprove

Design tools

The following site design tools help save costs and optimize efforts to maintain your website quality and IEEE branding.

Why is this important? A consistent, high-quality visual representation of our brand yields credibility and trust in our products, services, and experience.

Use the following tools to help in your site and content design efforts:

  • Website templates: The IEEE web sub-site templates, designed for use by IEEE employees and volunteers, contain IEEE WordPress themes for various IEEE entities such as conferences, local IEEE Sections and Regions, Student Branches, programs, services, and initiative websites.
  • IEEE icon library: An icon is a small picture or symbol intended to help people quickly recognize a tool, site, function, or file format. Icons should be consistent in their behavior, positioning, and design and should reinforce commonly used metaphors. To maintain consistency across communications and complement IEEE content, an icon library with 64 icons representing various technologies, and many commonly used symbols for use in print and digital communications has been developed for use. 
  • Image resizers: Use of good imagery can drive help drive traffic and engagement to your content online. It is advised to resize or touch images to complement content in a user friendly manner without impacting the quality of the image. The following tools can help with image resizing.

Code editing tools

The following site coding tools can be employed when HTML/CSS and/or other programming languages are required to enhance or troubleshoot your website.

Why is this important? These tools allow advanced web developers to quickly edit code and troubleshoot with other web developers to try out code updates.