pdf version (13Kb)

Introduction
As was announced by the IEC General Secretary at the IEC General Meeting in Firenze last year, the IEC would be launching this new website. The IEC CO has been working to improve both the performance of its servers and site navigation. This site offers more user friendly access to information for users both new and old to the IEC. The site is better structured and the use of the five standard (colour coded) scrolling menus make the majority of the pages only one click away.

While the site uses more graphics than the old site, the loading of the pages is designed to offer the end user the text information first and the graphics second, thereby enabling those users of dial-up modems with the possibility of moving on to the required page immediately and terminating the download of graphics. The majority of the graphics are identical on all of the pages, so that they are loaded only once.

Recommended browsers and settings
The site is designed for Internet Explorer and Netscape v.4x and upwards, and Opera v.5 and upwards on both PCs and MACs. Java scripting should be enabled as this "powers" the scrollable menus.

IEC Logo
The IEC logo, located in the top left-hand corner of all pages, is used throughout the site as a hyperlink back to the IEC Home Page.

Languages
The "About the IEC" section of the new website will be available in the three official languages of the IEC (English, French and Russian), while dynamic search results will be available in English and French by using the "English version" and "Version française" hyperlinks.

IEC Home Page
The Home page has been changed to have a mixture of graphics and words to make it easier for new and or experienced users to find information. The page is broken down into three sections. The left "Latest News" box will feature latest announcements and news, and will highlight new zone/facilities for the website when they are launched. The centre "IEC Online" box features the IEC's main online information newsletters and/or services, including the IEC Webstore, e-tech - the monthly online newsletter of the IEC, and the IEV and graphical symbols databases. The right "Technical Work" box highlights the key features for members/experts, including the TISS service, the MyIEC shortcut, the TC dashboard and the database search window.

Website pages
All of the site pages feature the five scrolling menus (see below) along the top of the page below the section with a clear chapter identifier and section colour. In addition, the lefthand side features: a selection of "What's Related" hyperlinks to that particular page content: a database search window; and a link to the IEC Webstore.

Scrolling Menus

1. About the IEC (Dark Blue)
This menu is broken down into general information "About the IEC" and "Our work". It features information for those new to the IEC, including the IEC's mission, its structure, membership and types of publications. This section will be available in English, French and Russian.

2. IEC in Action (Green)
This menu is broken down into Zones, Benefits of the IEC, online newsletters and the News centre. The Zones currently available cover EMC, Renewable energies and Functional safety and are designed to provide a much more user friendly introduction to these technical areas. It is hoped that other Zones will be developed in the future. The "Benefits" submenu features case studies showing the potential benefits of using IEC standards and/or participating in the IEC technical work. The Online newsletters include e-tech (available as a monthly online newsletter summarizing key developments in the IEC). The News centre offers a selection of information for the Media and general public, including news releases and the IEC annual report.

3. Technical Work (Purple)
The technical submenu offers members and their experts a one-stop option for locating relevant information. The menu is broken down into Support services, TC tools and a Members/experts only area. Support Services highlights the TISS home page and its frequently asked questions (FAQs), and the Bits and Bytes and TC news newsletters. TC Tools features most useful facilities available to experts to help speed-up their work (including newdocs, horizontal committees, TC dashboard), while the Members/experts only section highlights the restricted areas of the website (voting, MyIEC, permissions system).

4. Conformity Assessment (Light Blue)
The Conformity Assessment menu showcases all of the IEC's activities in this domain, and includes hyperlinks to the three respective scheme sites. The Conformity Assessment Home Page helps the end-user understand each of the schemes and how the schemes are governed.

5. Search (Red)
This menu contains options for searching all IEC databases available online. From this menu, the end-user can locate publications, review work in progress, find out about TC/SC participation, list IEC National Committees, meetings, and more. Clear explanations and examples of how the end-user should enter search criteria are given on each search page.

IEC Webstore and Customer Service Centre
Links to the IEC Webstore and Customer Service Centre (including information on National Committee Sales Outlets) are available on every page of the site below the "What's related" links on the lefthand side. A comprehensive Customer Service Centre Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) will help customers find the correct publication and/or get in touch with their local NC.

Helpline, FAQs and Site Tree
At the very top of each page on the right are links to the Helpline pages including the general Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), with links to the specific FAQs available at the Customer Service Centre and on the TISS home page (relating to technical work). A Site Tree offers a comprehensive listing of the pages available in the site.

Feedback
The IEC CO has been working to deliver a website solution geared to a variety of end-user requirements. We welcome your feedback and any positive or negative comments that you might have on the new site. Please send them via email to webmast@iec.ch.