Design on Digital.gov

California wildfires guidance for U.S. government websites and social media

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Addressing web and digital communications related to the California wildfires.

An introduction to data visualization

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Use data visualization to communicate insights, tell a story, and share actionable information.

Reduce, remove, remediate: PDFs and government websites

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

In a recent governmentwide community discussion, we shared tips to remediate the use of PDFs on government websites, focusing on balancing needs, choosing formats, starting fixes, and ensuring documents are accessible for everyone.

Driving Digital Transformation Across Government for Lasting Impact

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Digital promotes effective, usable federal services that enhance public trust in government. Over the past four years, the Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer (OFCIO) has laid the groundwork for a modern, secure, and user-friendly federal government. From advancing cybersecurity to forging global partnerships and streamlining IT investments, these efforts have improved how millions interact with government services.

Making the case for human-centered design: A Department of Justice case study

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The Access DOJ initiative shares nine lessons on making services more accessible, effective, and efficient.

Hurricane Helene guidance for U.S. government websites and social media

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Addressing web and digital communications related to Hurricane Helene

Delivering a digital-first public experience: One agency's plan

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Learn how the U.S. General Services Administration is tackling the 100+ requirements of OMB memo M-23-22, Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience.

A revised and expanded guide for de-risking government technology projects

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0500

18F recently launched an updated version of the 2020 De-risking Government Technology Guide, offering a new section on vendor management, and combining the State Software Budgeting Handbook and Federal Field Guide into one unified resource. The guide offers practical methods for reducing risks in government tech projects, drawing from 18F’s experience and state employee input. This revision reflects the evolving needs of government agencies, providing key insights on custom software development, vendor collaboration, and performance-based contracting.

How the Open Data, Design, and Development team implemented state and offshore region navigation pages with hallway testing

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0500

User feedback is key to creating great digital products, but limited resources can hinder research efforts. Hallway testing provides a quick, useful solution. By conducting informal interviews, the Open Data, Design, and Development team at the Department of the Interior gathered insights to improve navigation to state and offshore region pages on the Natural Resources Revenue Data website. After testing prototypes, the best option was implemented, streamlining access white minimizing resource use. The team’s next steps include monitoring performance, evaluating the addition of maps on select pages, and continued hallway testing.

A journey of improvement: Creating a self-assessment for digital experience

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Memo M-23-22 from the Office of Management and Budget provides guidance to federal agencies on delivering a digital-first public experience. To quantify its compliance with the memo, the Open Data, Design, and Development team at the Department of the Interior created and conducted a self-assessment of its digital products. The team used a scoring spreadsheet to measure compliance across categories like accessibility, design consistency, and mobile responsiveness. The results helped the team develop a plan to prioritize improvements and engage with leadership for support on other initiatives.

Digital front door: Expanding access to VA

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

More Veterans are turning to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for healthcare and benefits, accessing these services online through tools like the VA Health and Benefits mobile app and VA.gov. With over 2.28 million app downloads and 17.8 million monthly visitors on VA.gov, these digital tools provide faster, easier, and more inclusive access to VA services. Learn more about how these technologies are often Veterans’ first interaction with VA by watching their latest video, Digital Front Door: Expanding Access to VA.

Case study: Removing barriers to applying for a presidential pardon

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

At the Department of Justice, Access DOJ and the Office of the Pardon Attorney (PARDON) partnered to simplify and streamline the presidential pardon application process. By conducting usability testing and gathering feedback, they identified key issues with the existing application, such as its complexity and length. See how redesigning the forms to be more accessible and understandable led to a more efficient process for both applicants and staff.

One year with the new USAGov

Tue, 14 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

It has been a year since USA.gov and USAGov en Español were relaunched using human-centered design principles. Using task backlog, the USAGov team has addressed content gaps, improved discoverability, and implemented technical updates. Through usability tests, visitor comments, and click behavior the team was able to unravel and respond to user feedback and unmet needs, leading to noticeable increases in visitor satisfaction and task accomplishment. Moving forward, the focus will shift to enhancing public engagement with the government, improving the search for benefits-related content, and exploring interactive and personalized user experiences.

Progress towards delivering a digital-first public experience

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Each year, more than 400 million individuals, families, businesses, organizations, and local governments get information and services from about 430 federal agencies and sub-agencies. The Biden-Harris administration is driving a bold vision for how government agencies serve their customers digitally with OMB’s ten-year roadmap for a modern digital experience. Agencies have already made significant strides. Learn about recent successes by the IRS, CDC, NASA, and FEMA, and how OMB will continue to collaborate with agencies to ensure ongoing improvement in digital government services.

Justice department to publish final rule to strengthen web and mobile app access for people with disabilities

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

On April 8, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland signed a final rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure the accessibility of web content and mobile applications for people with disabilities. This final rule clarifies the obligations of state and local governments to make their websites and mobile applications accessible. Learn more about this rule and why the Attorney General believes it will “break down barriers that have kept people with disabilities from fully participating in American Life.”

18F practices in action (spoiler: this stuff works)

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

How well do 18F software development practices work? The 18F team reflected on a recent project for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) .gov registry to gauge the effectiveness of six recommendations aligned with what they actually did.

How USAGov uses data to improve content

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Each month, USAGov’s content designers spend many hours ensuring that the content on USA.gov and USAGov en Español is up-to-date, accurate, and meets user needs. Learn how their team does holistic reviews of each topic section based on a rolling calendar with the goal of updating all content at least every 6 months.

Search.gov year in review: 2023 report

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 08:23:00 -0500

Learn what types of information people searched for on federal websites in 2023, see emerging trends the team is exploring to improve customers’ search experience in 2024, and check out three new updates. The data tab provides insightful summaries for 13 popular topic areas—and lists the public’s top 25 search terms, in their own words, for each.

Maximizing impact of federal websites: Integrating metrics with annual goals and policies

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 15:05:00 -0500

The Open Data, Design, and Development (ODDD) team discusses how OMB’s recent memo, Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience (M-23-22), inspired them to reassess their metrics plan to harmonize with policies governing federal public websites.

Customer experience and human-centered design

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 14:46:00 -0500

Customer experience is the application of design within a business context to craft the human experience.

Making GSA's public art collection more accessible

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 23:30:00 -0500

GSA’s Fine Arts team recently leveraged modern product development practices to launch the new collection website.

Why the American People Deserve a Digital Government

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 13:26:00 -0500

OMB recently released new policy guidance for government that includes a variety of actions and standards to help federal agencies design, develop, and deliver modern websites and digital services. Memo M-23-22, Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience, will make it seamless for the public to obtain government information and services online, and help agencies fully implement the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (21st Century IDEA).

A website refresh in 3 months

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 12:16:00 -0500

A website redesign doesn’t have to be a big project. By approaching it as a process of iteration, we launched a refreshed site in the span of several weeks.

Making the case for sentence case on USAGov’s websites

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 09:53:00 -0500

What is the best case style to use for titles and headings? For the new USAGov websites, we discuss the decision to use sentence case on USAGov products.

An introduction to design

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 15:32:00 -0500

How to design government websites that meet customer needs, work well on any device, and follow federal web requirements.

Get to know Search.gov

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:56:00 -0500

Search.gov’s goal is to deliver a high-quality, government-wide search engine that allows agencies to customize search experiences for the public, regardless of website type or organization. Learn about standard offerings, as well as three major enhancements.

Reflections on a year in government from 11 U.S. Digital Corps fellows

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 11:41:00 -0500

To celebrate their first year in government, 11 U.S. Digital Corps Fellows reflect on what they have learned.

How a Small Team Modernized a Federal Website to Improve CX

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 12:38:00 -0500

The recent redesign of the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) website stands as an example for agencies seeking to enhance their online platforms. ONRR’s Open Data, Design, and Development (ODDD) team played a pivotal role in this website transformation by embracing open data, user-centered design, accessibility, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Making the big move: Search in support of federal web modernization

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:51:00 -0500

In this special report, we discuss a website redesign’s nine phases and their impact on search.

Making the big move - Special report: Search in support of federal web modernization

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 12:43:00 -0500

For the past several years Search.gov has reported each year on the top public needs based on the search terms they used. This special report will take a different approach. It still offers a high level view of the public experience of seeking services and information from the government. But it also tells the story of change, and how these changes affect search and findability.

Judiciary Launches New Federal Ticket Processing Website

Tue, 02 May 2023 10:36:00 -0500

Individuals can now pay tickets for minor federal violations more easily, using a redesigned website for the Judiciary’s Central Violations Bureau. The website, officially launched in early May, leverages new technologies and best design practices to improve usability and accessibility across devices, including smart phones.

The 18F design chapter

Tue, 02 May 2023 09:43:00 -0500

Designing technology-enabled public services requires deep expertise in how different elements of the experience come together (or don’t!). The 18F design chapter comprises four discipline-specific cohorts — service design, user experience (UX) design, product design, and content strategy — each of which has a primary focus, with corresponding tools, methods, and techniques.

Introducing the new USA.gov

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 09:34:00 -0500

We’re excited to share that the new USA.gov and USAGov en Español are live. However, we’re not finished. See what we’ll be working on in the future.

Modernizing a federal government website with user-centered design

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 16:57:00 -0500

In this blog post, we break down our process for redesigning a federal government website (onrr.gov) into six detailed sections. This blog serves as a helpful guide for other agencies looking to do a major website redesign.

5 Changes the UX Team Made for Beta

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 14:44:00 -0500

The USAGov UX team has made improvements to beta.usa.gov in new ways. See the five changes that help us understand user needs and pain points.

Call for participation: Government UX summit 2023

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 07:46:00 -0500

The UX Summit will be a one day virtual event on June 14, 2023. New and experienced UX practitioners are encouraged to participate.

Building Beta: The Foundation

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 10:41:00 -0500

The USAGov program has been developing a new iteration of our bilingual sites, USA.gov and USAGov en Español. In the process of building beta.USA.gov and beta.USA.gov en Español, we’ve been rethinking our work style and priorities. Follow the “Building Beta” series to learn how we’re reimagining the way we approach product management, usability, accessibility, content creation, analytics, and outreach.

Understanding design in 10 questions

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 10:08:00 -0500

How the discipline of design can help your agency improve customer experience.

The U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) and onrr.gov

Wed, 22 Feb 2023 11:18:00 -0500

The U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) includes five design principles that facilitate human-centered design. In this post, we look at the work our team does to make sure we’re meeting each principle.

Three Tips for Using Facebook and Instagram Stories

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 10:57:00 -0500

At USA.gov and USAGov en Español, we’re always looking for better ways to connect people to government information through social media. Using stories has helped us increase our engagement rate and our number of followers as we deliver helpful information to people. Stories may be a good addition to your agency’s social media strategy, too. These three tips can help you get started.

We asked our design team: What did you learn in 2022, and what are you looking forward to in 2023?

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 17:04:00 -0500

The beginning of the year is a good time to hunker down, reflect on the past, and envision the future. We brought some of that reflection into a design chapter meeting, where we asked the team: “What did you learn in 2022? What are you looking forward to in 2023?” Here’s what some of our team members had to say.

An introduction to design systems

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 14:30:00 -0500

If your organization needs to ensure compliance with a design standard or align to a brand, a design system can help you achieve those goals more easily than building a site from scratch. Learn how a design system can help you and what you need to know to get started.

How to manage a federal website

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 09:13:00 -0500

Managing government websites is a targeted exercise. Here are 5 steps to help you build and maintain a successful one.

Bringing design in-house

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 10:11:00 -0500

What is design, who are designers, and how can they help your agency? Learn how to build a design team that can help your agency solve “wicked problems” and be more innovative.

Revisiting who uses ONRR.gov: refining personas

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 11:45:00 -0500

We’ve conducted several studies where we’ve noticed gaps in our onrr.gov personas, so we decided to revisit them.

Accessibility Testing for onrr.gov

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 15:27:00 -0500

How do you make sure a website is accessible? This blog post outlines the four steps the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR - pronounced like "honor") at the U.S. Department of the Interior took to verify accessibility.

Sunrise to Sunset: Building a Customer-centric Digital Ecosystem

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:30:00 -0500

GSA has developed the Digital Lifecycle Program, with tools and guidance to help teams manage a compliant, customer-centric digital property from ideation through sunsetting.

Taking a Design-led Approach to Digital Modernization

Fri, 07 Oct 2022 09:06:00 -0500

Learn how GSA uses collaboration, empathy, and existing expertise to modernize their digital portfolio and improve customer experience.

GSA Celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) Program

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 18:11:00 -0500

Since 2012, over 200 Presidential Innovation Fellows have supported initiatives at more than 50 agencies, providing expert advice in specialized disciplines such as artificial intelligence, data strategy, product management, human-centered design, software development, and digital strategy. These efforts have enhanced agencies’ abilities to provide the best customer experience for their stakeholders and the public. The PIF program plans to celebrate the anniversary over the next year with activities to highlight the program’s impact and community since it launched.

Measuring and Justifying the Government Experience

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 15:21:00 -0500

Private sector organizations use revenue as the primary measurement to justify improving experiences. Many government services don’t have revenue as a lever, so how can we justify work to improve experience? The Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) leveraged a few metrics on their team that fall into three categories: laws and regulations, improving the experience for users, and saving time for employees.

What Agile Looks Like at the Office of Natural Resources Revenue

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 14:10:00 -0500

Agile at the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) started with 18F. They reflect on where they are today, five years later.

Content Design for beta.ADA.gov: Writing for Action and Flexibility

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 18:00:00 -0500

Sunsetting Go.USA.gov: Frequently Asked Questions

Tue, 24 May 2022 08:08:00 -0500

Two Years of Federal Student Aid's Virtual Assistant Lead to Lessons Learned and a Clear Vision of the Work Ahead

Mon, 02 May 2022 16:00:00 -0500

Education’s FSA team behind Aidan® shares what they’ve learned over the past two years to help drive improvements and expand the product to a wider range of users.

Creating a New Way for People To Discover Government Benefits

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 19:47:00 -0500

summ

Lessons from the 2021 Federal Plain Language Report Card

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 21:17:00 -0500

Lessons from the 2021 Federal Plain Language Report Card

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 17:26:00 -0500

This event recap highlights best practices, a short case study video, and examples of federal web content that received both high and low scores in the 2021 Plain Language Report Card.

From Fellowship To Full-time: How a CFPB Software Engineer Helped Protect Consumers and Built a Career in Civic Tech

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 11:15:00 -0500

Anselm Bradford, a front-end engineer at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), is using his tech skills to protect American consumers.

The Customer Experience (CX) Symposium Series: A Thought Incubator for Federal CX Practitioners

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 11:21:00 -0500

What is the past, present, and future of public sector customer experience practice? The CX Symposium series gathers practitioners to map our way.

Open-source Information Architecture Design: Using the Tools You Have To Conduct Card Sorting and Tree Testing

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 11:30:00 -0500

Learn how we used GitHub to conduct a card sort and tree testing to improve the information architecture for onrr.gov.

A User-Centered Approach: Simplicity and Complexity in a Homepage Graphic

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 16:29:00 -0500

GSA Launches New Innovation Adoption Community of Practice

Thu, 08 Jul 2021 15:55:00 -0500

GSA is launching the Innovation Adoption Community of Practice on Digital.gov to connect those who embrace innovative methods and practices that improve government service delivery.

Multilingual Huddle: Designing for Translation

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 12:19:00 -0500

In this webinar, Laura Godfrey and Fedora Braverman share tips for translating content in the digital context.

Making It Easier for People to Find Federal Agencies

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 19:14:00 -0500

How To Navigate Challenges to Successfully A/B Test Your Emails

Fri, 21 May 2021 11:44:00 -0500

The article will go over some best practices of implementing A/B testing on your emails.

Building a User-Centered Data Strategy

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 16:30:00 -0500

Building a User-Centered Data Strategy—Developing a data strategy is challenging, but 18F can help agencies with the process of creating an effective one. Our principles of user-centered design, agile, and iterative delivery can increase an agency’s chance for success in using data more effectively.

Next for the U.S. Web Design System

Thu, 11 Mar 2021 15:13:00 -0500

What’s Next for the U.S. Web Design System—In 2020, we brought together researchers, designers, engineers, and policymakers to conduct research across dozens of federal agencies to help support emergency response efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today we released a new and exciting report and strategy that outlines what’s next for the design system and our community.

Security is Everyone's Responsibility: Delivering Secure, Usable Login for Government

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 10:28:00 -0500

How login.gov incorporated human centered design and continuous discovery into their product development process to improve the user experience.

The New FedRAMP.gov

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 17:48:00 -0500

The New FedRAMP.gov—FedRAMP is excited to announce the launch of our revamped website. Thanks to feedback from our partners and stakeholders, the website has an improved user experience that makes FedRAMP information and resources more accessible. The website provides more in-depth information about FedRAMP’s authorization process, enabling agencies, Cloud Service Providers (CSPs), and Third-Party Assessment Organizations (3PAOs) to easily access pertinent information related to their role in the FedRAMP Authorization process.

Deceptive Design: How to Identify and Combat Consequence Design

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 14:10:00 -0500

Consequence design is part of everyday life. Techniques like “deceptive patterns” and “hostile design” trick people into taking unintended actions — learn how to prevent them from sneaking into our design work.

Code.gov Better Know an Engineer: Rayvn Manuel

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 12:00:00 -0500

Code.gov Better Know an Engineer: Rayvn Manuel—We’re back with another installment of Better Know an Engineer. We are pleased to feature a friend of Code.gov and all-around amazing person, Rayvn Manuel; senior application developer and DevOps engineer at the Smithsonian Insitute's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).

Giving Users the Information They Crave: Data and Analytics Tips From USAGov en Español

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 09:00:00 -0500

Building Trust in a Public Health Crisis

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 18:00:00 -0500

"Diga o marque 2": USAGov en Español’s New Approach to Interactive Voice Response

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 09:00:00 -0500

Addressing Barriers to User-Centered Design

Fri, 03 Jan 2020 17:00:00 -0500

An overview of the most common barriers and how federal agencies might address them.

The basics of human-centered design in government

Fri, 03 Jan 2020 17:00:00 -0500

How the Lab at OPM drives innovation through design education

U.S. Web Design System

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 19:00:00 -0500

A community for anyone building federal websites with the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) or considering it for a future project.

U.S. Web Design System

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 23:37:00 -0500

A design system for the federal government that makes it easier to build accessible, mobile-friendly government websites for the American public.

Revised 508 Standards Roadmap

Tue, 30 Jan 2018 10:27:00 -0500

Follow the Revised 508 Standards to ensure your information and communication technology (ICT) is accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities.

18F

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

We help government agencies fix technical problems, build products, and improve how government serves the public through technology.

Presidential Innovation Fellows

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

We help government agencies fix technical problems, build products, and improve how government serves the public through technology.

U.S. Digital Service

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

We deploy small, responsive groups of designers, engineers, product managers, and bureaucracy specialists to work with and empower civil servants.

An Introduction to USWDS 3.0

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 23:37:00 -0500

A design system for the federal government that makes it easier to build accessible, mobile-friendly government websites for the American public.

Join the Web Managers

Thu, 21 Nov 2013 02:31:00 -0500

Create a better online experience for the public alongside government web content managers.

10x

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Provides funding for new technology projects or products across government, from the TTS office of investments.

18F Accessibility Guide

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A resource for developing accessible products.

Accessibility for Teams

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A guide to making products more accessible for everyone.

DotGov Registry

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

We make it easy to register and manage a .gov domain for US-based government organizations.

Human-Centered Design Guide Series

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A series of guides to help you understand and practice human-centered design.

The Lab at OPM

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A team of designers with diverse backgrounds that help agencies address complex challenges and build human-centered design capacity across the federal government.

USWDS Maturity Model

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

How to adopt the design system incrementally and design and build better digital experiences.

U.S. Web Design System

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A toolkit of principles, guidance, and code that helps agency digital teams build accessible, mobile-friendly government websites for the American public.

An introduction to federal website standards

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 10:12:00 -0500

The federal website standards help agencies provide high-quality, consistent digital experiences for everyone.

USWDS Monthly Call - January 2025

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 14:00:00 -0500

Learn the U.S. Web Design System basics, how to get started with the design system, and what’s coming next for USWDS in 2025.

USWDS Monthly Call - September 2024

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 14:00:00 -0500

The U.S. Web Design System team will share their exploration of Web Component-based design systems and best practices.

USWDS Monthly Call - August 2024

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 14:00:00 -0500

The U.S. Web Design System team will answer community questions and give an update on their work developing web components for the design system.

USWDS Monthly Call - June 2024

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:00:00 -0500

The U.S. Web Design System team will give an update on their work developing web components for the design system.

USWDS Monthly Call - May 2024

Thu, 16 May 2024 14:00:00 -0500

The U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) team will chat with Center for Civic Design co-founder Whitney Quesenbery about designing accessible civic spaces.

USWDS Monthly Call - April 2024

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 14:00:00 -0500

The U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) team will go over some basics of Web Components and how they apply to the design system.

USWDS Monthly Call - March 2024

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 14:00:00 -0500

Join the U.S. Web Design System team for a lesson on customizing and extending the design system.

Spring 2024 Community Summit

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 10:00:00 -0500

Digital service experts across the federal government will share case studies and best practices on delivering a digital-first public experience.

USWDS Monthly Call - February 2024

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 14:00:00 -0500

Learn about the USWDS component lifecycle, and how you can suggest a new component.

USWDS Monthly Call - January 2024

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 14:00:00 -0500

This month the Design System team will talk about the development and rollout of their new accessibility tests for components.

USWDS Monthly Call - October 2023

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 14:00:00 -0500

This month, we’ll share progress and findings from our recent effort to improve our ongoing research practice.

2023 Government UX Summit

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 10:00:00 -0500

User experience (UX) experts across the federal government shared case studies and best practices during this virtual summit.

Incorporating user experience practices into data-driven development of a biomedical software tool

Wed, 03 May 2023 14:00:00 -0500

Join the National Cancer Institute and a university-based researcher to discuss interpreting complex data.

USWDS Monthly Call - April 2023

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 14:00:00 -0500

Tune-in to learn more about what your feedback is doing for the U.S. Web Design System.

USWDS Monthly Call - February 2023

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 14:00:00 -0500

Join us as we take a deep dive into USWDS design tokens. We’ll cover: what they are, how they’re used, and how you can adapt them to your branding needs.

USWDS Monthly Call - November 2022

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 14:00:00 -0500

Continuing our look at user profile patterns

USWDS Monthly Call - October 2022

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 14:00:00 -0500

We’ll discuss our approach to developing User Profile design patterns, look at some specific guidance, and talk about why it’s so important.

USWDS Monthly Call - September 2022

Thu, 15 Sep 2022 14:00:00 -0500

How do we help users find content in their preferred language? Join us as we take a closer look at the language selection patterns we’re developing for USWDS.

USWDS Monthly Call - August 2022

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 14:00:00 -0500

Join us to learn more about design patterns and how they fit into the design system.

2022 Government UX Summit

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 11:00:00 -0500

A two-day summit—June 7 and June 8—with experts who will share their experiences as UX practitioners in the federal government.

USWDS Monthly Call - April 2022

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 14:00:00 -0500

Our friends at Digital.gov will join us to talk through their experience migrating to USWDS 3.0.

Change the Way Digital Work Gets Done

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 14:00:00 -0500

Learn about what a Digital End-to-End Efficiency (DEEE) Framework is and how you can get started digitizing and automating your digital processes.

USWDS Monthly Call - March 2022

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 14:00:00 -0500

During this event, the USWDS core team will preview what to expect in the new USWDS 3.0.

USWDS Monthly Call - February 2022

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 14:00:00 -0500

In this event, we will explore possibilities for a component API for the U.S. Web Design System.

USWDS Monthly Call - December 2021

Thu, 16 Dec 2021 14:00:00 -0500

Get started with the design system and a how-to demo of template creation and a prototyping approach.

USWDS Monthly Call: October 2021

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 14:00:00 -0500

This month’s topic: Community, Connection & Contribution. How can our community help teams solve problems together?

USWDS Monthly Call - September 2021

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 14:00:00 -0500

Let’s peer into the crystal ball and look into the future of USWDS.

2021 User Experience Summit

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 11:01:00 -0500

A 3-day remote summit covering User Experience (UX) management in the government.

USWDS Monthly Call - June 2021

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 14:00:00 -0500

In this month’s session, we’ll unpack the new pagination component—what design problem it solves, how it came to be, what the U.S. Web Design System team did to build it, and what you and your teams can do with it.

Plain Language Webinar: Using Words to Build Better Digital Experiences

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 14:00:00 -0500

Words make digital experiences human-centered, and require just as much thought as the branding and code. As federal agencies strive to use human-centered design, they need to remember that words and design work together. See how interfaces rely on language, and how your writing can make or break an experience. Learn principles for UX writing that anyone who works on digital products can apply to their own work.

USWDS & Accessibility: Creating More Inclusive Federal Websites

Thu, 20 May 2021 14:00:00 -0500

How does USWDS address accessibility? Join us as we share tips and tools for addressing accessibility throughout the lifecycle!

USWDS Monthly Call - April 2021

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 14:00:00 -0500

Join the U.S. Web Design System team as they answer the crucial question, “Why use the design system?”

USWDS Monthly Call - March 2021

Thu, 18 Mar 2021 14:00:00 -0500

Join the U.S. Web Design System team as we look at what’s in USWDS 2.11.0, our latest release.

USWDS Monthly Call - February 2021

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 14:30:00 -0500

Learn what’s next for the U.S. Web Design System and our 2021 Roadmap—what we’re planning to do this year, and why we’re planning to do it.

USWDS Monthly Call - January 2021

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:30:00 -0500

Learn how journey maps and service blueprints help teams better understand how people really use our sites and services to do what they need to do.

USWDS Monthly Call - December 2020

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 14:30:00 -0500

Join the U.S. Web Design System team as we look at what’s in our latest release: USWDS 2.10.0!

USWDS Monthly Call - November 2020

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 14:30:00 -0500

Join U.S. Web Design System Product Lead, Dan Williams, to hear about what’s next for the design system as we come to the end of 2020.

USWDS Monthly Call - October 2020

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 14:30:00 -0500

In this talk, we will uncover some of these tricks, and show what we all can do to assure that deceptive design patterns stay out of the sites we build.

USWDS Monthly Call - September 2020

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 14:30:00 -0500

Join U.S. Web Design System Product Lead, Dan Williams, as we talk about the three new components for the design system.

Federal Crowdsourcing Webinar Series, Episode 14: Putting Open Data to Work for America’s Communities

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 15:00:00 -0500

Learn how federal agencies can leverage The Opportunity Project’s adaptable toolkit to engage cross-sector collaborators and rapidly prototype digital products powered by federal open data.

USWDS Monthly Call - August 2020

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 14:30:00 -0500

Join U.S. Web Design System Product Lead, Dan Williams, as we talk about the design system and answer your questions.

2020 Government UX Summit: July 28, 29, and 30

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 11:30:00 -0500

A remote event covering user experience (UX) methods, service design, and managing UX in the government.

USWDS Monthly Call: Form Components Update

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 14:30:00 -0500

For the July 2020 USWDS, Dan Williams, USWDS product lead, led a demonstration of several newly released USWDS components.

Best Practices for Writing for the Accessible Web

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 14:00:00 -0500

Tips for making online information accessible for those with auditory and visual needs.

Short Case Study: A/B Testing for Data-Driven Design

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 14:00:00 -0500

See how our Office of Strategic Communication used A/B testing to resolve a difference of opinion within a cross-functional design team.

USWDS Monthly Call: Design Modernization and the Importance of Designers

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 15:30:00 -0500

The June 2020 USWDS monthly focused on the design system and design modernization with guest speakers from 18F. Dan Williams, USWDS product lead, led the call and facilitated a live question and answer session with event attendees.

Build Sites to Address the Entire User Journey

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 15:00:00 -0500

This week, we’re exploring what it means to understand the user experience, and we’re taking a look at ways to use journey mapping to find opportunities for improving products and services.

A Guide For Agencies Building CX Capacity

Fri, 24 Apr 2020 10:00:00 -0500

GSA’s customer experience team has released a federal buying guide to aid agencies with buying CX Services.

USWDS Monthly Call - Easing into the Design System

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 14:30:00 -0500

Join U.S. Web Design System Product Lead, Dan Williams, as we talk about the design system and answer your questions.

USWDS Monthly Call - Color Tokens Update

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 16:30:00 -0500

Watch U.S. Web Design System Product Lead, Dan Williams, as he talks about the design system and answers participant questions.

Updates on 21st Century IDEA: Key Insights & Lessons Learned

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 12:00:00 -0500

We spoke to Ammie Farraj Feijoo, GSA’s 21st Century IDEA implementation lead, to get the rundown on what’s been accomplished and what’s on deck for 2020.

Survey Translation and the Inclusion of End Users in the Process

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 14:30:00 -0500

This talk will offer insights and tips on how to best design and translate surveys and other government materials aimed at reaching non-English speaking members of the public.

Call for Participation: Government UX Summit 2020

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 09:00:00 -0500

We’re looking for speakers to share their experiences as UX practitioners in government.

Making a Mobile-Friendly Website Using the ADAPT Model

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 15:00:00 -0500

The 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (21st Century IDEA) requires federal websites to be “fully functional and usable on common mobile devices.” Mobile-friendliness, however, can mean a variety of things, depending on the perspective of a user. David Fern, co-lead of the MobileGov Community and the Federal Crowdsource Mobile Testing Program, knows a lot about making websites and content mobile-friendly. This webinar gives you insights into his approach—the ADAPT Model—which looks to ensure that websites are mobile-friendly:

Even with a design system, you still need a designer

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 16:00:00 -0500

The U.S. Web Design System gives flexibility to teams to build the right solution for users, but there are still plenty of design decisions that teams need to make to be successful. In short, you’ll still need a designer.

Deep Dive into the UX Field

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 12:00:00 -0500

There is a growing number of uses for user experience (UX) design, as well as a growing alphabet of UX-related careers; this series will offer some insight into the field by speaking with UX experts in government.

Adopting the USWDS, One Step at a Time

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 19:00:00 -0500

The U.S. Web Design System is key to new website standards

USWDS Monthly Call: Using the USWDS Maturity Model

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 14:30:00 -0500

Join U.S. Web Design System Product Lead, Dan Williams, as we discuss the USWDS maturity model and answer your questions.

A Look at the New GSA.gov

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 18:00:00 -0500

How the GSA incorporated the U.S. Web Design System into their flagship site.

U.S. Web Design System: December Monthly Call

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 14:30:00 -0500

Join U.S. Web Design System Product Lead, Dan Williams, as we discuss the USWDS and answer your questions.

Welcome to the NEW Digital.gov

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 11:00:00 -0500

We’ve been working on a new version of Digital.gov, and we’re ready to make it available to you.

UX Documentation: Convince Them the Problem Is Real

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 15:00:00 -0500

If you want to make worthwhile investments in the way you interact with customers, think UX. Here are some ways to communicate user experience to key stakeholders and gain support for UX improvement projects.

U.S. Web Design System: October Monthly Call

Thu, 17 Oct 2019 14:30:00 -0500

Join Dan Williams, U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) product lead, in our monthly call as he walks through the design system and answers your questions.

Join the U.S. Web Design System Community

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 13:00:00 -0500

Are you and your team working with the U.S. Web Design System on your site, or have plans to start using it? The USWDS team has a public Slack channel where you can meet other government engineers, content specialists, and designers who are working with the USWDS to build accessible, mobile-friendly websites.

U.S. Web Design System: September Monthly Call

Thu, 19 Sep 2019 14:30:00 -0500

This month, we’ll take a look at the development process for a USWDS component and demonstrate how we start with a problem and work to a solution that could be shared across other websites.

Technology Transformation Begins With People: Closing the Human-Technology Gap

Wed, 11 Sep 2019 12:00:00 -0500

GSA's Technology Transformation Services is prototyping a human-centered approach to cultivating an environment of lifelong learning to attract and retain the best talent to serve our citizens.

Prototyping Engagement Workshops for the Future of Federal Data, Dashboards, and Storytelling

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 18:06:00 -0500

User-centered design is critical for meetings—from the front lines to C-suite. How might we host more hands-on learning sessions and experience exchanges to improve and customize the way the federal workforce communicates to diverse stakeholders?

U.S. Web Design System: Aug Monthly Call

Thu, 15 Aug 2019 14:30:00 -0500

Join Dan Williams, U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) product lead, as he walks through the design system and answers your questions. This month we’ll take a look at bootstrapping USWDS, including how to add USWDS to a project and start designing in minutes.

U.S. Web Design System: How to Migrate Your Site to USWDS 2

Thu, 18 Jul 2019 14:30:00 -0500

In our July meeting, the USWDS team and special guests walk through migrating sites to USWDS 2 and take any questions you might have.

Get Your Idea Funded Through 10x

Tue, 09 Jul 2019 09:00:00 -0500

Introducing a new investment fund for technology products in the federal government

U.S. Web Design System: June Monthly Call

Thu, 20 Jun 2019 14:00:00 -0500

Join the U.S. Web Design System team as we walk through the system’s design tokens and take any questions you might have!

SUCCESS STORY: The U.S. Web Design System 2.0 from GSA

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 11:00:00 +0000

Code.gov breaks down the latest USWDS 2.0 release with highlights of the most important features that will help teams build better websites for the American public.

U.S. Web Design System: May Monthly Call

Thu, 23 May 2019 14:30:00 -0500

Join the U.S. Web Design System team as we talk through the recent update to 2.0

Government UX Summit 2019

Wed, 15 May 2019 09:00:00 -0500

Sponsored by the User Experience Community of Practice (UX CoP) and DigitalGov, this event is an opportunity to share experiences and lessons learned in UX and network with other UX practitioners from across the government.

Journey Maps as Communication Tools

Tue, 07 May 2019 10:00:00 +0000

The team at Office of Natural Resources Revenue wrote about how they use journey mapping to help teams look at their agency’s processes in a more comprehensive way.

Caroline Jarrett on How to Design a Better Form

Tue, 09 Apr 2019 15:00:00 -0500

We have a lot of forms in government, and many of them would benefit from better design. In this talk, Caroline Jarrett will explore a curriculum she’s working on about how to design forms.

Introducing USWDS 2.0

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 09:00:00 -0500

Today’s update introduces a powerful toolkit of new features to help make creating useful, consistent digital services faster, simpler, and more fun.

18F Guide to Product Management

Wed, 03 Apr 2019 17:34:00 -0500

Best practices on doing product management well

18F Methods

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 17:25:00 -0500

A collection of tools that describe how teams can put human-centered design into practice.

Dalia El-Shimy on Mixed Methods Design Research

Wed, 27 Feb 2019 14:00:00 -0500

How should designers collect data and how can they use that data to inform their work? Dalia El-Shimy, UX Research Lead at Shopify’s Montreal Office, will share how her team uses mixed methods research in support of its design decisions.

Health Tech Sprint Aims at Improving Care Access and Experience

Fri, 02 Nov 2018 10:40:00 -0500

This sprint is designed to improve care by assisting in access to novel therapeutics and improving clinical trials.

Eight principles of mobile-friendliness

Tue, 09 Oct 2018 12:30:00 -0500

We’re sharing eight principles of mobile-friendliness to help you improve your sites.

Collaborating for Better Design, Technology, and User Experience

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 12:18:00 -0500

Overview of initiatives across Federal government that focus on IT design, development and accessibility.

Getting Started with USWDS 2.0

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 13:00:00 -0500

The U.S. Web Design System team will show you how to get started with USWDS 2.0: how to set up your project colors, fonts, and more.

Civic Service Design Tools + Tactics

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 15:00:00 -0500

Join us for this hour long webinar to receive an introduction on the Civic Service Design Tools + Tactics, a set of practical ways to gather insights from the people who depend on your services in their own environments.

Experiments in Tweaking Agile for UX

Tue, 17 Jul 2018 09:00:00 -0500

Designers at the Federal Reserve Board share how they adjusted the agile process to work better for their team.

Introducing Accessibility for Teams

Tue, 10 Jul 2018 16:38:00 -0500

A quick-start guide for embedding accessibility and inclusive design into a team’s workflow.

A First Look at USWDS 2.0

Fri, 06 Jul 2018 14:00:00 -0500

This month, the USWDS team will share what’s coming up in version 2.0 which is set to launch later this summer.

Connected Government Act

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 09:00:00 -0400

Resources to help your agency comply with the Connected Government Act.

U.S. Web Design System Monthly Call

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 13:00:00 -0500

Join us for our monthly conversation with designers and developers across the government.

How Design Systems Help Us Work Together — with Brad Frost

Thu, 31 May 2018 12:00:00 -0500

Join Brad Frost as he talks about design systems and the role they play in creating a successful, collaborative structure for modern organizations.

U.S. Web Design System Monthly Call

Fri, 27 Apr 2018 13:00:00 -0500

Join us for our monthly conversation with designers and developers across the government.

New USAGov Program Aims to Help Agencies Market Within the Federal Government

Mon, 02 Apr 2018 12:00:00 -0500

The Outreach and Marketing team from USAGov helps agencies amplify their key messages through a variety of channels.

Redesigning an Intranet Site: Final Stages, Launch, and Lessons Learned

Wed, 07 Mar 2018 12:00:00 -0500

Helpful lessons from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) on the redesign of an intranet.

Why Your Team Needs Its Own Style Guide and Where to Start

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 10:00:00 -0500

Learn how creating your own style guide can help facilitate development for agency websites. Review best practices, lessons learned, and examples from the U.S. Web Design System, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Using Journey Mapping to Streamline Processes Across Agencies

Mon, 05 Feb 2018 11:52:00 -0400

How one team used journey mapping to improve the customer experience for newly naturalized citizens attempting to travel abroad.

Learn About the Updated IT Accessibility Standards

Tue, 30 Jan 2018 09:32:00 -0400

Effective January 18, 2018, the revised 508 standards modernize the federal government’s IT accessibility standards and bring us into alignment with governments around the world.

Making Customer Satisfaction Data Actionable at the Peace Corps

Tue, 30 Jan 2018 09:30:00 -0400

Learn how measuring customer experience helped inform and guide website development at Peace Corps.

U.S. Web Design Standards Monthly Users Call

Fri, 26 Jan 2018 12:00:00 -0500

In our next monthly users call, the U.S. Web Design Standards core team will share what they’re working on in 2018.

Workshop: Making Government Websites with GitHub, Federalist & U.S. Web Design Standards

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 08:00:00 -0500

Come learn how to create a simple, compliant government website, using Federalist, GitHub and the U.S. Web Design Standards.

3 Ways to Manage Research Projects Remotely

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 16:28:00 -0400

Being a remote team doesn’t mean you should forgo any of your research rituals. It means finding different ways to do them.

A Conversation With ITIF About the State of Federal Government Websites

Wed, 20 Sep 2017 11:00:00 -0400

Since it’s been nearly six months since their report was released, we wanted to check in with ITIF and see what they’ve learned, what they’ve heard from agencies and what their future plans are to build on this research.

Design and Conflict: Do You Know Your Conflict Style?

Mon, 18 Sep 2017 09:00:34 -0400

Building empathy towards users is always a part of the UX process, but it’s not always common practice to build empathy towards our teammates. Here’s an idea to proactively address conflict and build empathy through understanding on your team.

CFPB Serves up Financial Tips to Seniors

Mon, 11 Sep 2017 10:00:44 -0400

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Meals on Wheels America have created multilingual educational resources about financial scams that target the elderly which can be easily distributed to seniors in the communities they serve, and downloaded or ordered in bulk for free by the general public. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Consumer Education &

Walter Reed’s 3-D Printing Innovations Help Warfighters Get Back to Life

Tue, 29 Aug 2017 10:02:21 -0400

This is part of an ongoing series highlighting the innovations and research happening at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Wounded warriors who dream of returning to playing hockey, climbing mountains or simply brushing their teeth with ease can look to 3-D printing innovations at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to

The Data Briefing: Federal Government Pioneers in Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality Training

Wed, 09 Aug 2017 05:59:54 -0400

When I was in the private sector, around the year 2000, I worked for an information technology (IT) consulting company as a project manager and developer. On one project, I provided support for early mobile devices given to medical students. I worked in a small office around the corner from the cardio-respiratory simulator (CRS). The

Have You Critiqued Your Critique Process?

Mon, 31 Jul 2017 12:00:00 -0400

DEMO Whenever I hear someone complain about the process of a design critique, I’m always a bit surprised. Blame it on the fact

Vets.gov: A Modern Software Development Environment in Government

Mon, 03 Jul 2017 15:36:05 -0400

When people think of government software, they often think of COBOL and PowerBuilder 5, with manual software deploys every three to six months on a fixed number of machines in a government-run data center. This perception is sometimes justified, but sometimes entirely wrong. Regardless, the perception makes many developers reluctant to work for the government

VA Innovators Network Program: Ahead of the Curve in Healthcare Innovation

Fri, 30 Jun 2017 11:00:59 -0400

VA Innovators Network Program Selected as FedHealth IT Innovation Award Winner This month, FedHealth IT announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Innovators Network Program was selected as a 2017 recipient of the FedHealthIT Innovation Award. FedHealth IT recognized 25 Federal Health

Improving Customer Experience with Digital Personas

Tue, 20 Jun 2017 10:55:09 -0400

Keeping the customer’s needs front and center is important when developing new digital tools. We recently developed a set of user personas as part of our work to establish a more robust—and data informed—understanding of the individuals that engage digitally with the National Archives (NARA). User personas are fictional, but realistic representations of key audience

The New FEC.gov

Tue, 06 Jun 2017 10:25:09 -0400

Last week, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) unveiled their new website at FEC.gov. This new site is the result of a years-long collaboration with GSA’s 18F and features completely revamped tools for exploring campaign finance data. It provides user-centered content for understanding the reporting and compliance requirements for people participating in federal elections, redesigned tools

Federalist Is out of Beta and Open for Business

Mon, 05 Jun 2017 11:00:17 -0400

If you’re a program manager or a federal web developer you’ve probably been given a seemingly simple task: Create a basic website as part of a new initiative at your agency. The hardest part is often not crafting the content or designing the prototype, but getting the security and privacy compliance in order to launch

GetMyFuture.org: Essential Youth Resources, Now

Tue, 02 May 2017 14:00:39 -0400

They say that life can be summed up as the process of a series of doors closing. By that, they mean that opportunities for taking different paths start to disappear as you move through life. It’s a logical sentiment, but there’s an obverse to it. When you’re young, all those doors are open. Doors as far as you can see. It’s all about learning how to make informed decisions about what doors to wander through.

A Deeper Look into the USDA.gov Website Redesign

Wed, 26 Apr 2017 11:00:11 -0400

We hope you are finding it easier to get the information you need on USDA.gov following the launch of our site redesign in March. We’ve already welcomed over 1 million visitors to the new site and we are pleased with the positive feedback we’ve received thus far. Our redesign makes it easier for you to

Congress.gov 2017 Spring Cleaning: Download Search Results and Advanced Search Enhancements

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 14:19:20 -0400

Spring is a beautiful time of year in Washington, D.C. The temperature warms up; the cherry blossoms are out; and we frequently have an update of Congress.gov to share. In 2015 we added treaties and web-friendly bill text, and in 2016 we expanded the quick search feature. Today there is another round of enhancements to the Library of Congress website for

How the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Uses the U.S. Web Design Standards

Wed, 12 Apr 2017 11:00:14 -0400

In this second post in our series, we met with the team at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and learned how they used the Standards to train, develop, and design their various websites and applications.

Color in Digital Design

Tue, 04 Apr 2017 11:00:46 -0400

How do we choose color in digital design? In print, we have the Pantone fan and what you see is what you get — as long as your printer is color calibrated. With computer monitors, one does not get such precision, even within one office. So how much time and effort do you spend on color selection?

Engineering the Chaski Relay: A Touchscreen Game at the National Museum of the American Indian

Fri, 31 Mar 2017 11:00:22 -0400

The interactive team at the National Museum of the American Indian saw the chaski story as as a candidate for interactivity and gamification, and an opportunity to bring additional engagement to the museum gallery. With a more focused idea and funding from the Electronic Software Association, the team set out on prototyping and development.

A Complete Redesign with You in Mind

Wed, 29 Mar 2017 01:00:36 -0400

We’re excited to launch a complete redesign of USDA.gov featuring stronger visual storytelling components, a more modern user-experience with easy to find services and resources, and to top it off, a completely mobile-friendly design. Through careful planning, thoughtful design, and a primary focus on user experience and usability, we’ve taken the best of government and industry

NASA’s Journey With the U.S. Web Design Standards

Fri, 24 Mar 2017 15:17:05 -0400

The U.S. Web Design Standards were created by the government, for the government. They’re currently implemented on hundreds of government sites, with an audience of more than 26 million monthly users.

New ITIF Report Inspires a Closer Look at Website Performance and Security—Here Is Where to Begin

Fri, 24 Mar 2017 11:02:04 -0400

The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) recently published a report, Benchmarking U.S. Government Websites, that looks at the performance, security, and accessibility of the top 297 government websites.

Mythbuster’s Guide to Accessibility: What We’ve Learned About 508 Compliance That All Technologists Can Use

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 12:14:30 -0400

Too often, we’ve seen others neglect accessibility because of some common misconceptions that make things difficult. In this post, we’ll debunk these myths, so you can easily create universally accessible content.

Webinar Recap: Better, Faster, and More Flexible—U.S. Web Design Standards Update

Thu, 09 Feb 2017 12:00:10 -0400

The Road to Launch Version 1.0 You may have noticed a new, cleaner, and more modern look to some government websites over the last year—these are the web properties that were early adopters of the Draft U.S. Web Design Standards from 18F, the digital services agency which is part of the General Services Administration (GSA).

Accessibility for teams

Wed, 01 Feb 2017 09:00:00 -0500

A ‘quick-start’ guide for embedding accessibility and inclusive design practices into your team’s workflow

DigitalGov University in Review: 2016 Training Trends

Wed, 11 Jan 2017 12:00:02 -0400

Thanks to your participation, DigitalGov University (DGU), the events platform for DigitalGov, hosted over 90 events with 6,648 attendees from over 100 agencies across federal, tribal, state, and local governments.

The Smithsonian’s IPOP Exhibition Framework: Lessons for a Human-Centered Content Approach

Thu, 08 Dec 2016 12:30:40 -0400

The Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Policy and Analysis has another tool to consider for your UX toolbox: IPOP. Though created specifically for museums and physical exhibitions, IPOP is useful for anyone wanting to widen appeal and engagement.

The Data Briefing: Why and How to Attend Your First Hackathon

Wed, 30 Nov 2016 03:00:47 -0400

December 9, 2016, will be the 110th anniversary of Admiral Grace Hopper’s birthday. Admiral Hopper was a pioneer in computer programming who created the first compiler and whose ideas lead to the creation of COBOL. An apocryphal legend also credits Admiral Hopper with coining the terms “bug” and “debugging.” The GSA’s IT Digital Service Team

GSA Presents: Grace Hopper Day Hackathon!

Mon, 28 Nov 2016 02:00:12 -0400

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Digital Service team is excited to be hosting our next agency hackathon on December 9, 2016. Join coders from across the region as we come together in celebration of Grace Hopper’s birthday.

Mobile Development and Testing with Chrome Developer Tools

Mon, 21 Nov 2016 12:00:19 -0400

Around Q3, I was looking for way to test the HTML and CSS of an online application that was to be public-facing. At first, my office’s plan was to connect mobile devices to the network owned by federal employees on a volunteer basis for testing.

Congress.gov Homepage Highlights, Alerts, and More Enhancements

Wed, 16 Nov 2016 11:00:37 -0400

This has been an exciting and successful year for Congress.gov. We accomplished a major milestone when we retired THOMAS in July. Over the course of 2016, we completed a number of enhancements to Congress.gov. In April we expanded quick search to include the Congressional Record, Committee Reports, Nominations, Treaty Documents, and Communications. In May we launched several new RSS feeds and

9 Reasons Your Infographics Might Be Too Big

Thu, 27 Oct 2016 12:00:27 -0400

Infographics are a useful tool for communicators to share complex data and information in a quick, easy-to-read format. Infographics can be beautifully designed works of art, pulling in a reader through storytelling and visual entertainment. And like art, infographics can be large, epic works, or small treasures.

Progressive Web Applications, Part 2: Pros, Cons, and Looking Ahead

Thu, 13 Oct 2016 11:00:04 -0400

A few weeks ago, Progressive Web Applications, Part 1: the New Pack Mule of the Internet introduced PWAs and the technologies behind them. We shared that article to the MobileGov Community of Practice and asked about the pros and cons of this approach to winning mobile moments. What Are Some Benefits of PWAs? PWAs bring

Creating Wall-Sized Interaction at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

Fri, 30 Sep 2016 01:00:59 -0400

As any experienced retailer will tell you, the customer experience begins at the store entrance. Note the friendly Walmart greeter, the approachable minimalism of an Apple Store, and the calculated whimsy of Anthropologie. Store designers understand that a customer’s decision to make a purchase is often made within seconds of entering. The same holds true

The New Vote.gov: Leaner, Faster and Multi-Lingual

Wed, 28 Sep 2016 11:00:27 -0400

One year ago this week, we launched vote.gov (also known as vote.usa.gov). It’s a concise and simple site with a single mission: direct citizens through the voter registration process as quickly as possible. It was created by a joint team of USA.gov staffers and Presidential Innovation Fellows, all of whom work within the General Services

Progressive Web Applications, Part 1: the New Pack Mule of the Internet

Tue, 20 Sep 2016 11:00:19 -0400

A mule is the hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a horse. This new species is stronger and better equipped than the species from which it comes. Overall, mules tend to be healthier, more sound, and live longer than horses. They are favored over horses in mountainous terrain because the mule has a reputation for being more surefooted than their equine cousins.

How Do You Redesign a ‘Dinosaur’? Redesigning an Intranet Site: the Beginning Stages

Mon, 19 Sep 2016 10:00:56 -0400

Many content managers in the digital world understand the irrepressible desire to improve, fix, edit, add, and move things around. Indeed, it’s our job to nurture this ongoing process to create, update, test, update again. And, repeat! But, what about those sites or pages that seem to never crawl up to the ‘high-priority’ list and

Sharing The Story of Innovation

Thu, 08 Sep 2016 11:00:55 -0400

Our goal for a more veteran-centered and innovative VA is shared. Our approach to innovation is collaborative. Our approach to innovation is driven by listening, understanding and responding to the experiences and stories of the Veterans we serve. We were huddled on squeaky chairs in the social room of a transitional housing facility in Los

Smithsonian Learning Lab: Designing for the Classroom

Mon, 29 Aug 2016 10:00:53 -0400

The Smithsonian’s mission statement is wonderfully simple: “The increase and diffusion of knowledge.” The “increasing” is arguably the straightforward part – the Smithsonian has amassed a collection of over 138 million objects and specimens, and the Institution’s curators and scientists obsessively add to the world’s knowledge base, publishing papers, creating exhibitions, and sharing their expertise.

Build Empathy With Stakeholder Interviews, Part 2: Conversation

Fri, 29 Jul 2016 12:00:13 -0400

How to run user-interviews and synthesize and integrate the results into the teams shared understanding

Welcome to the New DHS.gov

Thu, 09 Jun 2016 02:00:26 -0400

Today, I am happy to announce the newly optimized DHS.gov website. Over the past year, DHS has worked behind the scenes to update and modernize our flagship website, making it faster and easier to use. Some of the specific differences you’ll see are: Compatibility for both desktop computers and mobile devices (phones and tablets) Cleaner,

GSA Introduces New Web-Based Leasing Tool

Thu, 02 Jun 2016 12:00:21 -0400

Recently, Regional Administrator Sara Manzano-Díaz of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) introduced a web-based leasing tool, the Automated Advanced Acquisition Program (AAAP), to 60 lessors and/or brokers at the Dow Building in Philadelphia. The AAAP tool was designed to consolidate and streamline the leasing process, making for a more efficient, transparent process that also

The User-Centered Redesign of IdentityTheft.gov

Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:30:14 -0400

I first came across the redesigned IdentityTheft.gov on Reddit, of all places. Someone had posted a link to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) newly redesigned site and wrote: I hope this never happens to any of you as the entire thing can be really stressful. The identitytheft.gov website is a true breath of fresh air…You

Kids.Gov Reenvisioned

Mon, 23 May 2016 10:00:16 -0400

At USAGov, we always put our customers first. In the wake of our rebranding efforts, our desire to create a positive user experience across the organization has pushed us to turn a scrutinous eye toward Kids.gov; a site focused on providing information and resources to parents, teachers, and kids.

Using Pirate Metrics to Analyze Your Mobile Application’s Audience

Thu, 12 May 2016 10:00:28 -0400

There are over 200 native applications in the federal government with various download numbers. Are the ones with the most downloads the most successful?

Redesigning We the People

Mon, 02 May 2016 11:32:09 -0400

Summary: Improving the way you engage with the White House through our online petitions platform In July 2015, we announced a big change in the way we would answer petitions on We the People. We committed to responding to you within a 60-day timeframe, whenever possible. We assembled a team of people dedicated to getting your policy questions and

The USAGov Bilingual Style Guide Is Now Online!

Thu, 14 Apr 2016 10:00:12 -0400

About a year and a half ago, the Federal Citizen Information Center—today called USAGov—embarked on a very ambitious task: integrating our content operations. We blurred lines that defined silos and adopted a bilingual content approach to offer a more consistent experience, regardless of language preference or point of access to our information. See more about

Informing the Future of the Federal Front Door

Tue, 01 Mar 2016 11:10:06 -0400

In our last post, we introduced the Federal Front Door project and briefly described a six-week discovery phase, in which we set out to better understand how the general public feels about and interacts with the federal government, so that we can design and build products that improve people’s experience across government agencies. We think

Designing User-Friendly, Educational and Engaging Mobile Gaming Apps

Fri, 19 Feb 2016 12:20:20 -0400

How do you reach audiences with important health information and leave users asking for more? Is it enough to create responsive websites written in plain language or to design apps with health tips optimized for handheld devices? While those ideas are a step in the right direction, we do not live in a world where,

Best Practices for Remote User Experience Research

Thu, 10 Dec 2015 10:00:25 -0400

Once simply an idea, remote data gathering is now a very important reality in UCD (user-centered design) work. However, there are some challenges, particularly when your agency serves the entire nation and all of the groups in it. Identifying and finding solutions for these issues will help you best use this important tool.

Government Product Managers Play a Key Role in UX

Fri, 27 Nov 2015 11:00:19 -0400

Government product managers sit at the intersection of three circles—business, design and technology. We play a key role in user experience (UX), because we are tasked with understanding users to build a product that is desirable and viable. This product could be a paper or online form, a website or a mobile app. Product management

The Data Briefing: How Neuroscience and Communication Theory Inform Good User Experience Design

Wed, 25 Nov 2015 11:00:51 -0400

UX is everything from the visual design to the navigation structure of the website or mobile app. This month, DigitalGov is focusing on UX design.

The Content Corner: Good UX Needs Good Content

Mon, 23 Nov 2015 11:00:13 -0400

As DigitalGov focuses on user experience this month it is good to remember one harsh truth: You cannot have a good user experience with bad content. It is important to keep a “content first” strategy in place during any website redesign or new site development. It is so easy for the various disciplines involved in

GSA.gov Refreshed with Eye Toward Mobile Users

Tue, 17 Nov 2015 14:59:57 -0400

GSA unveiled a refreshed GSA.gov website yesterday with a more crisp design layout, improved usability, and features geared more toward mobile users. Increasingly, website traffic is coming from mobile users. With this in mind, GSA unveiled a newly refreshed GSA.gov website on Nov. 16. “Our ultimate goal for the refresh

Trends on Tuesday: 5 Tips for Designing Touch Interactions

Tue, 10 Nov 2015 10:00:14 -0400

Josh Clark, one of the pioneers of touch Web design, and author of Tapworthy and Designing for Touch, published an excellent article on A List Apart analyzing How We Hold Our Gadgets that has a wealth of data and graphics about this interesting and emerging design challenge. Below are 5 notable lessons from the post: 1. Portrait (vertical) orientation dominates

The Content Corner: Helping Your Content Contributors

Mon, 19 Oct 2015 10:04:17 -0400

Recently, I shared some suggestions and personal lessons learned for agencies either shopping for a new CMS or preparing to revamp their content strategy and workflow. Let’s take things one step further and focus on arguably the most important parts of your CMS: the content creator or user. Arguments can be made that content is the most

Under the Hood: Building a New College Scorecard with Students

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 11:00:10 -0400

How the U.S. Digital Service worked with students, families, schools, developers, and teams across the federal government to rebuild the new College Scorecard tool.

Trends on Tuesday: Web Standards Advocate Advises Adaptive Web Design for Government Sites

Tue, 25 Aug 2015 11:10:50 -0400

This August, Aaron Gustafson, Web Standards Advocate at Microsoft, industry thought leader and speaker, and an author who wrote a leading book on adaptive web design, spoke to the government tech community at the U.S. General Services Administration

The Content Corner: Modular Design and Structured Content

Mon, 24 Aug 2015 14:07:31 -0400

Several months ago I discussed the concept of a world without Web pages and the importance of structured content and thinking about content, not pages. This week, I’m taking that discussion further by discussing the importance of modularity in Web design and how that complements our efforts to create more structured and reusable data. Break

Focus Groups: Are They Right for You?

Fri, 17 Apr 2015 11:10:32 -0400

The short answer is: it depends on your goals. If you Google “focus group,” you will have a host of positive and negative feedback, but the truth is that it depends on what your needs are. What Is a Focus Group? Focus groups are an inexpensive way

Usability Design for Kids: Things Federal Workers Should Know

Tue, 24 Mar 2015 10:00:50 -0400

I used to teach 8th grade science in inner city Denver in the 1990s. After that, I supported special education students and their teachers in North Carolina. Around that time (mid-late 1990s), the Internet wasn’t really designed for kids –most of the electronic materials I

Getting Started with Usability Testing

Thu, 19 Mar 2015 02:10:54 -0400

At the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), our new open data policy will begin making more Agency-funded data broadly accessible to the public. It completely changes the way we do business, and it also means that in the coming years, the amount of data we

At Last: User Experience Performance Descriptions!

Tue, 17 Mar 2015 11:10:03 -0400

To improve your digital systems with user experience (UX), you need people. And to get people in government, you need position descriptions. While DigitalGov has collected a wide variety of position descriptions,

GoodGovUX Addresses UX of IT Contracts

Fri, 13 Mar 2015 10:00:27 -0400

How do you define user experience (UX)? That was the question posed to more than 100 people at the GoodGovUX event at the Artisphere in Arlington, Virginia, on February 24th. Attendees learned how government can improve the user experience of digital products, from

The Usability ‘Aha!’ Moment: How to Turn Cynics into Converts

Fri, 06 Mar 2015 11:19:33 -0400

User Experience (UX) is the comprehensive experience a person has when using a product or application, and usability is the ease of use (or lack thereof) when using it. Many of us have discovered the vast advantages of evaluating usability on our own; however, getting others to jump on board is often a different story.

Trends on Tuesday: Top Five Trends in Mobile App Design for 2015

Tue, 17 Feb 2015 11:10:27 -0400

Mobile user habits are a moving target, and designers have to adjust accordingly. Review these top 5 trends in app design for 2015.

Institutionalizing User Experience: Building Usability into Your Organization

Fri, 13 Feb 2015 10:00:30 -0400

So, you have some systems or tools your customers or employees access. Maybe you want to put together a robust capability to conduct usability testing. How do you start formalizing user experience (UX) into your organization? Brad Ludlow at GSA tossed this topic out on the User Experience community listserv, and I’ve encapsulated the superb discussion that

Top Task Usability: Design for Your Users

Fri, 06 Feb 2015 10:10:11 -0400

Being able to design a website that users love is not too far away from being able to read their minds. While designers can’t read minds, that doesn’t stop them from using their website’s top tasks to make it seem like they can. A website’s top tasks include 5-10 tasks (depending on the scope of the

7 Ways to Ignite User-Centered Design at Your Agency

Tue, 27 Jan 2015 10:00:54 -0400

So you’ve done a couple of usability studies, and a few people are starting to “see the light.” Now you’d like to take it to the next level and help your organization embrace user-centered design (UCD) as the philosophy that drives all your digital projects. But what is best way to do this? How can

Making Prototypes with Tools You Already Have

Fri, 19 Dec 2014 10:00:35 -0400

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. For me, the necessity resulted from long product development cycles paired with short windows for user testing and little room for iteration. The “invention” was the discovery of a powerful set of tools for prototyping that are available on just about

Can You Crowdsource Your User Experience Research?

Tue, 09 Dec 2014 12:00:34 -0400

In one sense, almost any type of user research is crowdsourced—you’re talking to people and using that information to improve your system. But in a true sense, crowdsourcing is more than just collecting information, it’s collaborating on it. We want to have real conversations, not one-time emailed suggestions without followups. So here’s a few tidbits

Results: 2014 Federal User Experience Survey

Fri, 21 Nov 2014 10:00:29 -0400

The Federal User Experience (UX) Survey helpsus to learn how we can best improve the effectiveness, ease-of-use, and value of federal digital systems by connecting their teams to their customers.

Trends on Tuesday: Speed Matters When Measuring Responsive Web Design Performance Load Times

Tue, 18 Nov 2014 10:00:48 -0400

In the mobile world, every second matters. Mobile users are a finicky bunch. They want their information anytime, anywhere and quickly. As members of the MobileGov Community of Practice have noted last year, mobile user experience is about emotion. If that emotion is not happy, you will lose the user. For this month’s DigitalGov user

User Experience Impossible: The Line Between Accessibility and Usability

Mon, 17 Nov 2014 10:00:39 -0400

Bob goes to a popular federal government site, using his assistive technology, and starts reading a teaser for an article. Just below the teaser, there’s an embedded video on the page. He presses the tab key, trying to navigate to a link for the full article, but suddenly he’s trapped—he can’t tab past the video.

Trends on Tuesday: 8 Ways To Format Tables for Responsive Web Design

Tue, 28 Oct 2014 10:00:27 -0400

Making tables, charts and graphs mobile friendly is like squeezing 10 pounds of sugar into a 5 pound bag. Mobile Gov Community of Practice member Debra Fiorrito from the Defense Accounting and Financing Service recently highlighted this challenge in her responsive Web design implementation. The challenge also came up during a call with the Federal

User Acceptance Testing Versus Usability Testing…What’s the Dif?

Mon, 06 Oct 2014 10:00:50 -0400

Building off the great discussion started around Customer Experience, we’re looking at the difference between User Acceptance Testing and Usability Testing.

National Cancer Institute Launches New User Experience Lab

Thu, 04 Sep 2014 10:00:47 -0400

Why does a Cancer institute need a User Experience lab? Simply put: To learn about their customers—people living with cancer and those who care about them—and build the best possible products with them in mind. “Cancer has a journey and we wanted to create a

System Usability Scale (SUS): Improving Products Since 1986

Fri, 29 Aug 2014 10:15:49 -0400

Trying to measure usability can be a head scratcher. How easy something is to use depends on where you are, who you are, and a number of other factors. Luckily in the world of usability, there exists a post-test survey known as the System Usability Scale, introduced in 1986 by an engineer named John Brooke,

API Usability Case Study: openFDA

Fri, 22 Aug 2014 09:32:53 -0400

The API Usability Program brings together developers from agency APIs and the private sector to evaluate how the API can be improved to be more user friendly. Sean Herron of 18F, who was a key member of the openFDA developer team, shared with us some of the major insights gained from this latest API usability session.

Paper Prototyping PTSD Coach

Thu, 21 Aug 2014 10:00:05 -0400

The PTSD Coach mobile app from the Department of Veterans Affairs, provides veterans and users with information about PTSD and professional care, along with self-assessment tools and aid in finding support opportunities. The app has been downloaded over 100,000 times in 74

Redesigning with Customer Feedback: Child Support Enforcement Usability Case Study

Tue, 19 Aug 2014 01:00:49 -0400

The Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement at the Administration for Children and Families had a visually appealing website after an agency-wide redesign of program websites. The problem: Key stakeholders complained they could no longer easily find needed information. Their feedback prompted us to facilitate a UX-minded focus group to recommend improvements that met both users’ business needs and the redesign goals.

Heat Mapping Case Study: Epa.gov Homepage

Tue, 12 Aug 2014 11:00:17 -0400

Most people relate the term “heat map” with something they see during the weather forecast on the nightly news, those colorful maps that vividly illustrate how hot it’s going to be during an impending heat wave. The word “heat map” may not usually however, conjure up images of a widely used Web usability tool; but for those

Design Sketching: The Easiest Prototype Method Ever

Fri, 08 Aug 2014 10:00:19 -0400

When it comes to Web and software design, the pen(cil) is often mightier than the Design Suite. What I mean is: Tech is cool, but don’t fall under its spell. It’s often when you remove the technological layers between you and your thoughts that the best ideas sprout. You’ve heard of great ideas that started

Trends on Tuesday: What’s Your Mobile [App]etite?

Tue, 05 Aug 2014 11:00:57 -0400

In a few short years, the number of mobile apps has exploded, and the time spent on apps continues to increase. However, one thing hasn’t changed: the number of apps individuals use. The average smartphone owner uses 22 to 28 apps in a month, according to new data from Nielsen. Here are a few highlights

Improving Content, Increasing Participation: A NARA Usability Case Study

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 10:00:49 -0400

Over the years, the staff intranet at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) had become increasingly difficult to use. Old, irrelevant content routinely bubbled to the top of search results, and essential employee tools were hard to find. NARA staff agreed that the site was due for an upgrade: fixing NARA@work was voted a

Using Analytics to Create Change: USA.gov Usability Case Study

Tue, 01 Jul 2014 13:00:38 -0400

While many people tout the death of the home page, it’s still an important piece of the user experience on USA.gov. In 2013, 30 percent of all sessions on USA.gov included the home page—that’s 8.67 million sessions. The numbers for GobiernoUSA.gov are even higher—79 percent of all sessions included the home page. According to Jakob Nielsen, “A

Consumer Action Handbook – Usability Case Study

Fri, 06 Jun 2014 10:00:32 -0400

The Consumer Action Handbook is a guide to making smarter decisions with your money. It’s print and online formats, available in English and Spanish, include a compilation of buying tips from across government agencies, updates on the latest scams, and a robust consumer contact directory.

CDC’s Digital Front Door Goes Responsive

Thu, 05 Jun 2014 10:32:57 -0400

Ask, and you shall receive. That was the strategy behind the new homepage from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new CDC.gov homepage debuted last month with a responsive design that offers a “one-site-fits-all” experience based on feedback from you, the public.

How to Make a Mobile Paper Prototype

Thu, 22 May 2014 13:00:44 -0400

What if a single piece of paper could make your mobile app work 20 percent better? It’s hard to imagine something as unimpressive as paper influencing our 21st century smartphones, but it’s true. Well before we get into the design and coding phases, we can show customers

Visualizing Federal Data

Thu, 22 May 2014 10:00:50 -0400

At the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) we have a long history of using data graphics in our reports and congressional testimonies to explain our findings. From photographs, tables, and charts in the 1950s; to computer-generated data graphics in the mid-1980s; to the complex interactive graphics we’re just starting to use this year, our graphics

Defense Finance and Accounting Service Goes Responsive

Thu, 15 May 2014 13:15:53 -0400

Let’s face it: Some of us work to live. Some live to work. And all of us look forward to pay day. If you work for the Department of Defense, the Executive Office of the President, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Health

GSA Acquisition Portal – Usability Case Study

Mon, 21 Apr 2014 10:00:24 -0400

Incorporating usability testing throughout the entire design process, especially before launch, allows you catch glitches and/or make design changes prior to anyone seeing it live. When more than minor adjustments need to be made to your site, it’s much better to have completed them before the public sees it. For Christina Mullins, a Contracting Officer

NOAA National Ocean Service – Usability Case Study

Mon, 14 Apr 2014 10:00:04 -0400

For a small shop with a small staff, limited time, and a small budget, redesigning a website (and testing that redesign for usability) can be daunting. At least it seemed so to us when we redesigned the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s National Ocean Service website in November of 2013. We met the challenge

FDA Consumer Graphics – Usability Case Study

Wed, 09 Apr 2014 10:00:33 -0400

User testing isn’t just for websites—it’s for any product that has an audience. Which is everything, really. And that includes print materials, signage and infographics as well. Focusing on the User Experience is especially vital for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is committed to effectively communicating about products that affect the public

Kids.gov – Usability Case Study

Wed, 02 Apr 2014 10:00:02 -0400

Launched back in 2001, Kids.gov has the unenviable task of trying to keep pace with the rapidly changing online habits of youngsters.

Data.gov – Usability Case Study

Tue, 18 Mar 2014 08:42:54 -0400

We all know listening to your customers is important. Not just reading their comments, but talking to them, actually getting in a room with them, and having them test your product. But if basing a whole-scale redesign around one series of user conversations makes you nervous – it should. That’s because sometimes when we listen,

Creating E-Books: Think Functionality, Not Aesthetics

Fri, 07 Mar 2014 11:12:10 -0400

E-books are great for one thing: reading on mobile devices. Their reflowable text adjusts to fit the reader’s smartphone, tablet, or e-reader in the type size the reader chooses. They are essential for reading on smartphones, and better than pdf’s for all but the biggest tablets.

Finding Inspiration Through Design Constraints

Thu, 27 Feb 2014 10:11:23 -0400

If you could only communicate through a business-card sized screen, what would you say and how would you say it? In which ways could people respond to your message? These are some of the questions constraints lead us to ask, and the reason why constraints are so great

Responsive Web Design Workshop: Why, How and What’s Next?

Thu, 30 Jan 2014 10:28:29 -0400

Responsive web design has been a beacon of light in the darkness of mobile strategy for many federal agencies. Many agencies have implemented it and many others are exploring this approach to Mobile Gov. There are still many other questions about responsive web

State Department Mobile Site Goes Responsive

Thu, 07 Nov 2013 12:04:34 -0400

The Department of State has updated their mobile website m.state.gov

Redesigning Commerce.gov

Wed, 30 Oct 2013 12:45:16 -0400

After having the same look and feel on our website since 2010, Commerce.gov is embarking on a fresh redesign to put the user in the driver seat. Drawing on anonymized user input, we have made some significant changes and are excited to announce the launch of our new site – Beta.Commerce.gov. First, you’ll notice

Mobile First

Mon, 30 Sep 2013 11:44:17 -0400

Mobile First is the idea that web sites should first be designed for mobile devices, including only those tasks/items that website visitors use most. Then as screen real estate increases, add in tasks/features as needed based on user priority. This means the site

Embracing Responsive Design

Tue, 20 Aug 2013 07:42:45 -0400

See how a shift in consumer behavior during the last few years lead to the responsive redesign of USA.gov and GobiernoUSA.gov.

Develop with Web Standards

Sun, 30 Jun 2013 01:23:02 -0400

What It Is Do you remember the days when web pages had banners announcing that they were “best viewed with browser X”? Veteran web developers and designers certainly do, because they had to consider numerous exceptions for certain browsers and their versions. Today, building websites isn’t as challenging and that’s because developers are moving toward

CDC’s Solve the Outbreak App

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 01:33:34 -0400

Mobile Gov Experiences are agency stories about creating anytime, anywhere, any device government services and info. This entry is a story shared by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) launched a free, educational iPad app called “Solve the Outbreak,” which lets users play

AIDS.gov Responsive Design

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:41:20 -0400

Mobile Gov Experiences are agency stories about creating anytime, anywhere, any device government services and info. This entry is a story shared by AIDS.gov. AIDS.gov implemented an innovative model for responsive design by combining the former AIDS.gov and m.aids.gov to a fluid site accessible on computers, smartphones and tablets. View the

Mobile Webinar Series Recap: Responsive Design

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:19:34 -0400

Some agencies are turning to responsive design to support device-agnostic content delivery which was called for in the recently released Digital Innovation Strategy. Last week, GSA’s Mobile Program Management Office held a responsive design webinar in conjunction with DigitalGov University outlining agency experiences with responsive design. Agency experts covered responsive design technical approaches and strategy and you can

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The U.S. Chief Information Officer (CIO) and the CIO Council establish standards against which the success of all agency programs can be measured.

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A design system for the federal government.

Directory of services, tools, and teams

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Directory of free and low-cost shared services and tools offered by the GSA and other agencies.