The Digital User Experience (DUX) Tools offers website managers and contributors with tools to test their digital content virtually, at no cost, and to collaborate with the Digital & Creative Innovations team on website maintenance efforts.
Please contact us if you need assistance with using the tools listed on this page.
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.
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.
Developer Tools (for Chrome)
Developer Tools (for Firefox)
Emulation (for Edge)
Responsive Mode (for Safari)
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" 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, 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).
NVDA: Screen reader tool by NV Access
JAWS screen reader: Popular screen reader tool (paid license needed)
WAVE Toolbar: Web accessibility evaluation tool
Siteimprove – Chrome browser extension: Browser extension for single page accessibility checks
WebAIM Color Contrast Checker: Tool for Level AA and AAA contrast checks
Tanaguru Contrast Checker: Tool for compliant color combination suggestions for digital use
Please note: Some accessibility fixes may require web development efforts (that are not provided by these 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 our websites are 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 our digital presence will improve results on both platforms.
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.
Access the MOZ link checker tool (available in free and paid options; works best in Chrome)
Redirects: Available for creating redirects within the "www.thinkshiftdesign.com" domain resulting in a shortened URL for TSD related sites. Available to teams, employees, members, and volunteers maintaining digital content for Regions, Sections, Councils, Societies, Chapters, and Student Branches.
Access the IEEE URL Redirect Registration Form
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.
Contact Digital & Creative Innovations at dci-team@ieee.org for support in setting up Google Analytics and related site tracking tools on our sites.
Visit the Google Analytics website to learn more about the tool
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
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 dci-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
The following site design tools help save costs and optimize efforts to maintain your website quality and 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 web microsite templates, designed for use by our teams, employees and volunteers, contain templates for various entities such as conferences, local Sections and Regions, Student Branches, programs, services, and initiative websites.
See the IEEE Website Templates section
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.
See the IEEE icon library catalog of options
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.
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.
Atom (Mac OSX, Windows OS, Linux OS)
Notepad++ (Windows OS)