/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/topics/user-experience/ Recent content in User experience on Digital.gov Hugo en-us /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/12/31/reduce-remove-remediate-pdfs-and-government-websites/ Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/12/31/reduce-remove-remediate-pdfs-and-government-websites/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/10/28/making-the-case-for-human-centered-design-a-department-of-justice-case-study/ Mon, 28 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/10/28/making-the-case-for-human-centered-design-a-department-of-justice-case-study/ The Access DOJ initiative shares nine lessons on making services more accessible, effective, and efficient. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/09/23/delivering-a-digital-first-public-experience-one-agencys-plan/ Mon, 23 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/09/23/delivering-a-digital-first-public-experience-one-agencys-plan/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/09/03/the-beauty-of-hallway-testing-how-we-implemented-state-and-offshore-region-navigation-pages/ Tue, 03 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/09/03/the-beauty-of-hallway-testing-how-we-implemented-state-and-offshore-region-navigation-pages/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/08/27/how-multicultural-research-guides-usagovs-benefit-finder/ Tue, 27 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/08/27/how-multicultural-research-guides-usagovs-benefit-finder/ Discover how USA.gov tailors its benefit finder experience for both English and Spanish-speaking users through culturally nuanced content. Through dual-track language research, a bilingual support team, and A/B testing, USA.gov ensures that more users receive relevant, empathetic, and user-friendly content. The USA.gov team also identified and addressed recruitment challenges to interatively improve its ongoing research processes. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/08/20/user-research-and-the-paperwork-reduction-act/ Tue, 20 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/08/20/user-research-and-the-paperwork-reduction-act/ User research is an important part of customer experience transformation. Different types of research require different approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Through seven case studies, the U.S. Digital Service shows how agencies conducted valuable user research that did not require PRA approval and successfully integrated findings into their projects. Their work illustrates how thoughtful user research transforms delivery of services and helps agencies build trust in government. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/08/06/developing-an-easier-way-to-recruit-user-research-participants/ Tue, 06 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/08/06/developing-an-easier-way-to-recruit-user-research-participants/ USA.gov and 10x recently partnered to develop a new user research recruitment page. The page launched in February 2024 and has attracted hundreds of sign-ups. It allows participants to assist in testing government websites for compensation, and helps teams find participants that match needed demographics. By simplifying the process and expanding recruitment of diverse populations, the initiative aims to support and streamline user research. It plans to add recruitment opportunities in additional languages and recruit more specific audiences for future studies. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/07/08/a-small-teams-journey-through-digital-maturity/ Mon, 08 Jul 2024 15:55:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/07/08/a-small-teams-journey-through-digital-maturity/ As a small team, Digital.gov adopted user research and customer experience early. That foundation helps develop evidence-based strategies for today. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/07/08/evaluating-your-agency-accessibility-just-got-a-whole-lot-easier-with-gsa-openacr-editor/ Mon, 08 Jul 2024 12:55:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/07/08/evaluating-your-agency-accessibility-just-got-a-whole-lot-easier-with-gsa-openacr-editor/ To help agencies evaluate the accessibility of their digital products, GSA is making it easier to create Accessibility Conformance Reports through its new OpenACR Editor. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/06/25/unsolicited-data-a-valuable-resource-for-digital-customer-experience-enhancement/ Tue, 25 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/06/25/unsolicited-data-a-valuable-resource-for-digital-customer-experience-enhancement/ Optimizing federal service touchpoints involves analyzing both actively-sought and spontaneous feedback, introducing new metrics and data points. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/06/10/how-the-u-s-department-of-the-navy-is-delivering-it-that-just-works/ Mon, 10 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/06/10/how-the-u-s-department-of-the-navy-is-delivering-it-that-just-works/ The U.S. Navy’s Program Executive Office for Digital and Enterprise Services is working to revolutionize how information technology is acquired. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/04/17/progress-towards-delivering-a-digital-first-public-experience/ Wed, 17 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/04/17/progress-towards-delivering-a-digital-first-public-experience/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/04/16/delivering-seamless-customer-journeys/ Tue, 16 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/04/16/delivering-seamless-customer-journeys/ GSA shares a 4-step process used to measure and analyze related websites, and additional plans to improve customers’ digital experience. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/02/06/getting-the-word-out-about-voter-registration-votegovs-first-social-media-takeover-with-usagov/ Tue, 06 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/02/06/getting-the-word-out-about-voter-registration-votegovs-first-social-media-takeover-with-usagov/ Last fall, vote.gov and the USAGov program partnered for their first-ever social media takeover on National Voter Registration Day. The campaign, which encouraged the public to register to vote, reached 36,000 people across USAGov’s platforms and generated over 2,000 engagements. The partnership raised awareness for vote.gov, boosted vote.gov’s website traffic, and laid the groundwork for the future collaborations and resource-sharing between the two entities. This collaboration between vote.gov and USAGov offers a model for social media takeovers and partnerships between federal agencies and teams. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/12/08/making-gsa-public-art-collection-more-accessible/ Fri, 08 Dec 2023 23:30:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/12/08/making-gsa-public-art-collection-more-accessible/ GSA’s Fine Arts team recently leveraged modern product development practices to launch the new collection website. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/an-introduction-to-privacy/ Fri, 08 Dec 2023 06:46:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/an-introduction-to-privacy/ Introductory guidance on implementing privacy protections for users of federal websites. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/11/28/part-1-delivering-on-21st-century-idea-a-case-study-from-the-gsa-smartpay-team/ Tue, 28 Nov 2023 08:52:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/11/28/part-1-delivering-on-21st-century-idea-a-case-study-from-the-gsa-smartpay-team/ The GSA SmartPay program, the largest government charge card and commercial payment solutions program in the world, celebrated their 25th anniversary by launching three new websites with a user-centered, agile approach. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/11/07/cultivating-a-dynamic-career-in-user-experience/ Tue, 07 Nov 2023 08:48:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/11/07/cultivating-a-dynamic-career-in-user-experience/ Dynamic careers are derived from creativity, accountability, influence and strategic planning. Learn about how enhancing job skills builds resilience in today’s work environment. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/10/30/decoding-public-sentiment-harnessing-open-data-to-gain-insights-into-service-delivery/ Mon, 30 Oct 2023 10:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/10/30/decoding-public-sentiment-harnessing-open-data-to-gain-insights-into-service-delivery/ Exploring High-Impact Service Provider performance through open source data analysis to enhance customer experience with federal services. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/10/04/5-things-we-learned-from-our-scams-wizard-usability-test/ Wed, 04 Oct 2023 10:57:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/10/04/5-things-we-learned-from-our-scams-wizard-usability-test/ USAGov’s usability (UX) team developed a step-by-step process for visitors to easily report a scam. Here are 5 things the team learned from performing usability testing on the tool. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/10/02/new-idmanagement-gov-is-refreshing-the-conversation-about-zero-trust/ Mon, 02 Oct 2023 14:53:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/10/02/new-idmanagement-gov-is-refreshing-the-conversation-about-zero-trust/ IDmanagement.gov has received an update that makes it easier for users to find exactly what they need. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/09/22/why-the-american-people-deserve-a-digital-government/ Fri, 22 Sep 2023 13:26:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/09/22/why-the-american-people-deserve-a-digital-government/ 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). /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/09/05/first-do-no-harm-mistakes-to-avoid-in-creating-accessible-user-experiences/ Tue, 05 Sep 2023 15:30:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/09/05/first-do-no-harm-mistakes-to-avoid-in-creating-accessible-user-experiences/ Accessible design and development practices help us build inclusive experiences. But we can lose sight of the people we serve if we don’t steadily work to better understand our users. To create accessible experiences, avoid these mistakes. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/07/25/get-to-know-search-gov/ Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:56:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/07/25/get-to-know-search-gov/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/07/18/reflections-on-a-year-in-government-from-11-u-s-digital-corps-fellows/ Tue, 18 Jul 2023 11:41:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/07/18/reflections-on-a-year-in-government-from-11-u-s-digital-corps-fellows/ To celebrate their first year in government, 11 U.S. Digital Corps Fellows reflect on what they have learned. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/06/27/3-ways-to-improve-communication-between-contact-center-agents-and-customers/ Tue, 27 Jun 2023 10:41:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/06/27/3-ways-to-improve-communication-between-contact-center-agents-and-customers/ The USAGov Contact Center is committed to meeting customers’ needs empathetically, efficiently, and accurately. Here are three tips recommended to USAGov agents for interacting with customers. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/05/26/planning-and-implementing-a-search-engine-for-a-redesigned-federal-government-website/ Fri, 26 May 2023 12:14:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/05/26/planning-and-implementing-a-search-engine-for-a-redesigned-federal-government-website/ In this blog, we walk you through our planning and implementation process for Search.gov. We share lessons learned, as well as resources we found useful. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/05/19/personas-learn-how-to-discover-your-audience-understand-them-and-pivot-to-address-their-needs/ Fri, 19 May 2023 15:48:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/05/19/personas-learn-how-to-discover-your-audience-understand-them-and-pivot-to-address-their-needs/ Advice from five federal experts on creating user personas. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/05/15/a-digital-accessibility-catalyst-for-your-next-policy-refresh/ Mon, 15 May 2023 14:51:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/05/15/a-digital-accessibility-catalyst-for-your-next-policy-refresh/ Use GSA’s IT Accessibility Policy Framework to update digital accessibility language in your agency’s policies. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/04/18/introducing-the-new-usa-gov/ Tue, 18 Apr 2023 09:34:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/04/18/introducing-the-new-usa-gov/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/03/30/modernizing-a-federal-government-website-with-user-centered-design/ Thu, 30 Mar 2023 16:57:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/03/30/modernizing-a-federal-government-website-with-user-centered-design/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/03/16/testing-beta-for-accessibility/ Thu, 16 Mar 2023 10:23:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/03/16/testing-beta-for-accessibility/ The USAGov team strives to ensure all our websites are accessible to as many people as possible, including those who need the use of specialized assistive technologies when browsing the internet. In building beta.USA.gov, we deliberately validated that it met Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 compliance requirements. Our testing approach includes a three step hybrid method that may be suitable for other agency use. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/03/14/5-changes-the-ux-team-made-for-beta/ Tue, 14 Mar 2023 14:44:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/03/14/5-changes-the-ux-team-made-for-beta/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/03/10/hhs-leverages-data-for-impact-and-action-at-the-2023-health-datapalooza/ Fri, 10 Mar 2023 18:29:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/03/10/hhs-leverages-data-for-impact-and-action-at-the-2023-health-datapalooza/ U.S. Digital Corps Fellows at HHS proved instrumental to delivering this year’s Health Datapalooza, especially the 2023 Health Equity DataJam, which launched at the event as a two-month-long technology sprint through the end of April. A professional association for health services and policy researchers will run the DataJam using HHS open data. Thanks to the U.S. Digital Corps Fellows, HealthData.gov includes DataJam challenge prompts, priority themes, open datasets, and curated resources for solvers. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/03/09/call-for-participation-government-ux-summit-2023/ Thu, 09 Mar 2023 07:46:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/03/09/call-for-participation-government-ux-summit-2023/ The UX Summit will be a one day virtual event on June 14, 2023. New and experienced UX practitioners are encouraged to participate. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/03/07/a-happy-compromise-between-people-first-and-plain-language/ Tue, 07 Mar 2023 12:31:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/03/07/a-happy-compromise-between-people-first-and-plain-language/ Find out how the National Institute of Corrections is using people-first plain language in its communications. See what words and phrases they’re changing. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/03/07/building-beta-the-foundation/ Tue, 07 Mar 2023 10:41:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/03/07/building-beta-the-foundation/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/02/02/how-to-manage-a-federal-website/ Thu, 02 Feb 2023 09:13:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/02/02/how-to-manage-a-federal-website/ Managing government websites is a targeted exercise. Here are 5 steps to help you build and maintain a successful one. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/01/27/bringing-design-in-house/ Fri, 27 Jan 2023 10:11:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2023/01/27/bringing-design-in-house/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/11/15/sunsetting-go-usa-gov-final-user-statistics/ Tue, 15 Nov 2022 16:05:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/11/15/sunsetting-go-usa-gov-final-user-statistics/ The digital landscape has changed significantly since we launched the Go.USA.gov service in 2009. Over the last two years the team looked carefully at the program holistically, taking into consideration the future of the program, the current landscape related to using shortened URLs and alignment with strategic business goals. In early 2022 we made the difficult decision to initiate steps to sunset the service. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/10/24/incorporating-evaluation-into-digital-forms/ Mon, 24 Oct 2022 13:59:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/10/24/incorporating-evaluation-into-digital-forms/ The American public spends approximately 11.5 billion hours per year filling out federal government forms. Form complexity can result in lack of submission or completion, and errors on forms can cause processing delays and affect whether the form is accepted — which can have far-reaching consequences. Learn how Five GSA offices and the American public worked together to improve federal forms. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/06/13/dhs-usability-testing-kit/ Mon, 13 Jun 2022 11:31:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/06/13/dhs-usability-testing-kit/ /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/05/23/technology-boosting-tmf-investments-deliver-benefits-for-the-american-public/ Mon, 23 May 2022 11:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/05/23/technology-boosting-tmf-investments-deliver-benefits-for-the-american-public/ The Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) is working to transform the way the government uses technology to deliver for the American public in an equitable, secure and user-friendly way. It strategically invests in priority IT modernization projects that are aligned with the fast pace of changing technology and agency needs. Here are a few examples of how the TMF has invested in multiple projects that are helping many agencies deliver what people need when they need. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/05/10/usagov-content-design-team-2021-highlights/ Tue, 10 May 2022 14:31:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/05/10/usagov-content-design-team-2021-highlights/ /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/05/02/two-years-of-federal-student-aid-virtual-assistant-lead-to-lessons-learned-and-a-clear-vision-of-the-work-ahead/ Mon, 02 May 2022 16:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/05/02/two-years-of-federal-student-aid-virtual-assistant-lead-to-lessons-learned-and-a-clear-vision-of-the-work-ahead/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/04/20/why-we-created-a-troubleshooting-guide/ Wed, 20 Apr 2022 11:55:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/04/20/why-we-created-a-troubleshooting-guide/ /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/03/15/creating-a-new-way-for-people-to-discover-government-benefits/ Tue, 15 Mar 2022 19:47:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/03/15/creating-a-new-way-for-people-to-discover-government-benefits/ summ /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/03/11/lessons-from-the-2021-federal-plain-language-report-card/ Fri, 11 Mar 2022 21:17:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/03/11/lessons-from-the-2021-federal-plain-language-report-card/ /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/lessons-from-the-2021-federal-plain-language-report-card/ Fri, 11 Mar 2022 17:26:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/lessons-from-the-2021-federal-plain-language-report-card/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/03/07/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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/03/07/from-fellowship-to-full-time-how-a-cfpb-software-engineer-helped-protect-consumers-and-built-a-career-in-civic-tech/ Anselm Bradford, a front-end engineer at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), is using his tech skills to protect American consumers. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/01/19/call-for-participation-2022-government-ux-summit/ Wed, 19 Jan 2022 15:47:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/01/19/call-for-participation-2022-government-ux-summit/ Learn more about the User Experience Summit submission process, and submit your presentations for consideration! /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/01/06/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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/01/06/open-source-information-architecture-design-using-the-tools-you-have-to-conduct-card-sorting-and-tree-testing/ Learn how we used GitHub to conduct a card sort and tree testing to improve the information architecture for onrr.gov. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/01/04/keynote-speaker-recap-would-more-plain-language-have-saved-us-from-the-worst-of-the-pandemic/ Tue, 04 Jan 2022 13:02:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/01/04/keynote-speaker-recap-would-more-plain-language-have-saved-us-from-the-worst-of-the-pandemic/ A summary of Cynthia Baur’s keynote at the 2021 Plain Language Summit. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/01/04/webinar-recap-key-takeaways-on-simplifying-hazard-communications-with-plain-language/ Tue, 04 Jan 2022 12:35:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/01/04/webinar-recap-key-takeaways-on-simplifying-hazard-communications-with-plain-language/ An overview of the presentation by Danielle Nagele of NOAA at the 2021 Plain Language Summit. Learn how she and her team used feedback to decrease confusion and increase impact. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2021/09/28/digital-meets-culture-getting-your-culture-in-line-with-your-digital-strategy/ Tue, 28 Sep 2021 09:40:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2021/09/28/digital-meets-culture-getting-your-culture-in-line-with-your-digital-strategy/ Learn how digital service teams in government navigate through the currents of organizational culture and implement change at their agencies. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2021/09/01/building-a-bureau-wide-usability-collaboration-group-lessons-learned-from-the-u-s-geological-survey/ Wed, 01 Sep 2021 19:05:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2021/09/01/building-a-bureau-wide-usability-collaboration-group-lessons-learned-from-the-u-s-geological-survey/ Learn about the U.S. Geological Survey’s Usability Collaboration Area in this short interview with the group’s organizer. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2021/08/13/involving-end-users-at-all-stages-to-create-actionable-science-products-for-complex-real-world-issues/ Fri, 13 Aug 2021 10:15:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2021/08/13/involving-end-users-at-all-stages-to-create-actionable-science-products-for-complex-real-world-issues/ How co-production methods increase the usefulness of scientific results, products, and tools /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2021/08/12/a-user-centered-approach-simplicity-and-complexity-in-a-homepage-graphic/ Thu, 12 Aug 2021 16:29:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2021/08/12/a-user-centered-approach-simplicity-and-complexity-in-a-homepage-graphic/ /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/web-analytics-and-optimization/ Wed, 07 Jul 2021 09:13:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/web-analytics-and-optimization/ Make better decisions using web analytics and other optimization strategies. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2021/06/08/making-it-easier-for-people-to-find-federal-agencies/ Tue, 08 Jun 2021 19:14:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2021/06/08/making-it-easier-for-people-to-find-federal-agencies/ /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2021/05/21/8-ways-community-of-practice-cop-managers-can-improve-member-engagement-on-listservs/ Fri, 21 May 2021 09:31:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2021/05/21/8-ways-community-of-practice-cop-managers-can-improve-member-engagement-on-listservs/ Are you a Digital.gov Community of Practice (CoP) lead? Find yourself participating in a CoP discussion and wondering what else you can do? We’ve got some suggestions. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2021/03/02/security-is-everyones-job-delivering-secure-usable-login-for-government/ Tue, 02 Mar 2021 10:28:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2021/03/02/security-is-everyones-job-delivering-secure-usable-login-for-government/ How login.gov incorporated human centered design and continuous discovery into their product development process to improve the user experience. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2021/02/08/call-for-participation-2021-government-ux-summit/ Mon, 08 Feb 2021 12:43:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2021/02/08/call-for-participation-2021-government-ux-summit/ Join us as virtual presenters for the 2021 Government UX Summit in June! This is a great opportunity to hone your UX skills with the best and brightest user experience researchers and designers from across the government. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/deceptive-design-how-to-identify-and-combat-consequence-design/ Tue, 01 Dec 2020 14:10:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/deceptive-design-how-to-identify-and-combat-consequence-design/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2020/07/22/whens-the-best-time-to-tweet/ Wed, 22 Jul 2020 07:55:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2020/07/22/whens-the-best-time-to-tweet/ /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2020/06/23/diga-o-marque-2-usagov-en/ Tue, 23 Jun 2020 09:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2020/06/23/diga-o-marque-2-usagov-en/ /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/uswds/ Thu, 12 Dec 2019 19:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/uswds/ A community for anyone building federal websites with the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) or considering it for a future project. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/the-us-web-design-system/ Thu, 11 Apr 2019 23:37:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/the-us-web-design-system/ A design system for the federal government that makes it easier to build accessible, mobile-friendly government websites for the American public. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/it-accessibility-section-508/ Fri, 05 Oct 2018 13:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/it-accessibility-section-508/ To support people working to enhance access to federal information technology (IT), we identify and promote best practices for compliance with Section 508 law, and conformance to the Revised 508 Standards. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/02/agency-perspectives-on-personas-use-development-and-challenges/ Mon, 02 Feb 2015 10:00:00 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/02/agency-perspectives-on-personas-use-development-and-challenges/ Personas are tools your agency can use to learn about your end users and drive decisions. Personas are so useful because they serve as a communication tool for your team. You can keep these personas in mind to guide any work that your agency performs. Let’s delve a bit deeper into personas and review two /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/multilingual/ Fri, 21 Feb 2014 04:58:10 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/multilingual/ Expand and improve digital content in languages other than English. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/user-experience/ Mon, 13 Jan 2014 02:35:36 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/user-experience/ Create better user-centered products for the public. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/department-of-homeland-security-usability-testing-kit/ Tue, 27 Sep 2022 11:25:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/department-of-homeland-security-usability-testing-kit/ A resource with four approaches to help federal employees perform usability testing. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/an-advanced-approach-to-accessibility/ Wed, 04 Dec 2019 08:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/an-advanced-approach-to-accessibility/ A deeper look at accessibility: what to do, how to do it, and why it matters. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/an-introduction-us-web-design-system/ Thu, 11 Apr 2019 23:37:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/an-introduction-us-web-design-system/ A design system for the federal government that makes it easier to build accessible, mobile-friendly government websites for the American public. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/web-content-managers/ Thu, 21 Nov 2013 02:31:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/web-content-managers/ Create a better online experience for the public alongside government web content managers. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/required-web-content-and-links/ Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:37:26 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/required-web-content-and-links/ Various policies require you to have certain content—or provide links to content—from specific places on your website. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/18f-accessibility-guide/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/18f-accessibility-guide/ A resource for developing accessible products. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/accessibility-for-teams/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/accessibility-for-teams/ A guide to making products more accessible for everyone. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/hcd/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/hcd/ A series of guides to help you understand and practice human-centered design. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/services/service_uswds/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/services/service_uswds/ A toolkit of principles, guidance, and code that helps agency digital teams build accessible, mobile-friendly government websites for the American public. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/dap/ Wed, 31 Jul 2019 09:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/dap/ The Digital Analytics Program (DAP) offers advanced, easy web analytics for federal agencies. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/delivering-digital-first-public-experience/ Fri, 01 Nov 2019 15:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/delivering-digital-first-public-experience/ Learn how to implement 21st Century IDEA to design and deliver better websites and digital services. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2025/01/16/uswds-monthly-call-january-2025/ Thu, 16 Jan 2025 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2025/01/16/uswds-monthly-call-january-2025/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2024/12/19/uswds-monthly-call-december-2024/ Thu, 19 Dec 2024 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2024/12/19/uswds-monthly-call-december-2024/ The U.S. Web Design System team is joined by the Federal Website Standards team to share more about the standards, their origin, the research backing them, and what standards are coming next. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2024/11/21/uswds-monthly-call-november-2024/ Thu, 21 Nov 2024 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2024/11/21/uswds-monthly-call-november-2024/ The U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) team will share their vision for the design system as a product, including USWDS Web Components and other new things the team expects to deliver in 2025. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2024/10/17/uswds-monthly-call-october-2024/ Thu, 17 Oct 2024 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2024/10/17/uswds-monthly-call-october-2024/ The U.S. Web Design System team will share the product and engineering principles they’re using to guide the development of the design system. event_organizer: Digital.gov /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2024/03/13/spring-2024-community-summit/ Wed, 13 Mar 2024 10:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2024/03/13/spring-2024-community-summit/ Digital service experts across the federal government will share case studies and best practices on delivering a digital-first public experience. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/11/16/uswds-monthly-call-november-2023/ Thu, 16 Nov 2023 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/11/16/uswds-monthly-call-november-2023/ The USWDS team will continue sharing our progress to improve ongoing research, publishing results and addressing recent findings. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/10/19/uswds-monthly-call-october-2023/ Thu, 19 Oct 2023 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/10/19/uswds-monthly-call-october-2023/ This month, we’ll share progress and findings from our recent effort to improve our ongoing research practice. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/09/21/uswds-monthly-call-september-2023/ Thu, 21 Sep 2023 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/09/21/uswds-monthly-call-september-2023/ We’ll explore what it means to pursue mission-centered design and decision-making. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/09/19/cultivating-a-dynamic-career-in-ux/ Tue, 19 Sep 2023 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/09/19/cultivating-a-dynamic-career-in-ux/ Join us for a discussion on how to adapt your career in user experience (UX) to a quickly changing world. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/08/17/uswds-monthly-call-august-2023/ Thu, 17 Aug 2023 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/08/17/uswds-monthly-call-august-2023/ What’s in the newest iteration of the U.S. Web Design System’s product roadmap. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/06/15/uswds-monthly-call-june-2023/ Thu, 15 Jun 2023 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/06/15/uswds-monthly-call-june-2023/ Developing and evaluating content for manual accessibility and user experience (UX) tests /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/06/14/2023-government-ux-summit/ Wed, 14 Jun 2023 10:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/06/14/2023-government-ux-summit/ User experience (UX) experts across the federal government shared case studies and best practices during this virtual summit. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/05/24/strengthening-information-accessibility-for-consumers-with-limited-english-proficiency/ Wed, 24 May 2023 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/05/24/strengthening-information-accessibility-for-consumers-with-limited-english-proficiency/ Tune in to learn what the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is doing to ensure financial products and services are accessible to all consumers, including those with limited English proficiency. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/05/03/incorporating-user-experience-practices-into-data-driven-development-of-a-biomedical-software-tool/ Wed, 03 May 2023 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/05/03/incorporating-user-experience-practices-into-data-driven-development-of-a-biomedical-software-tool/ Join the National Cancer Institute and a university-based researcher to discuss interpreting complex data. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/04/20/uswds-monthly-call-april-2023/ Thu, 20 Apr 2023 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/04/20/uswds-monthly-call-april-2023/ Tune-in to learn more about what your feedback is doing for the U.S. Web Design System. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/03/08/the-plain-language-tie-to-translating-digital-content/ Wed, 08 Mar 2023 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/03/08/the-plain-language-tie-to-translating-digital-content/ Join us to discuss the plain language and cultural components of effectively translating digital content into multiple languages. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/02/07/increasing-public-participation-in-user-research/ Tue, 07 Feb 2023 13:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/02/07/increasing-public-participation-in-user-research/ Join GSA’s 10x team as they share their report on creative incentives and tools for increased public participation in user research. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/01/25/continuously-improve-your-website-by-using-customer-feedback-and-web-analytics-an-irs-case-study/ Wed, 25 Jan 2023 13:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2023/01/25/continuously-improve-your-website-by-using-customer-feedback-and-web-analytics-an-irs-case-study/ Get tips and lessons learned from the Internal Revenue Service on how they collect user feedback and use web analytics to improve applications. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/11/17/uswds-monthly-call-november-2022/ Thu, 17 Nov 2022 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/11/17/uswds-monthly-call-november-2022/ Continuing our look at user profile patterns /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/11/15/usagov-usability-test-reports/ Tue, 15 Nov 2022 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/11/15/usagov-usability-test-reports/ Join us for an overview of usability test reports on the next version of USA.gov. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/10/20/october-2022-uswds-monthly-call/ Thu, 20 Oct 2022 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/10/20/october-2022-uswds-monthly-call/ We’ll discuss our approach to developing User Profile design patterns, look at some specific guidance, and talk about why it’s so important. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/09/28/improve-your-website-with-user-testing/ Wed, 28 Sep 2022 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/09/28/improve-your-website-with-user-testing/ Get tips and lessons learned from the Environmental Protection Agency on how to conduct user testing to improve customer experience. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/09/27/dhs-usability-testing-kit-so-easy-anyone-can-do-it/ Tue, 27 Sep 2022 13:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/09/27/dhs-usability-testing-kit-so-easy-anyone-can-do-it/ Join us for an overview of the Department of Homeland Security’s new Usability Testing Kit, including its four approaches to usability testing. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/09/15/uswds-monthly-call-september-2022/ Thu, 15 Sep 2022 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/09/15/uswds-monthly-call-september-2022/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/08/24/2022-federal-plain-language-summit/ Wed, 24 Aug 2022 10:30:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/08/24/2022-federal-plain-language-summit/ Join the best and brightest plain language practitioners from across the federal government. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/08/18/uswds-monthly-call-august-2022/ Thu, 18 Aug 2022 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/08/18/uswds-monthly-call-august-2022/ Join us to learn more about design patterns and how they fit into the design system. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/06/07/2022-government-ux-summit/ Tue, 07 Jun 2022 11:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/06/07/2022-government-ux-summit/ A two-day summit—June 7 and June 8—with experts who will share their experiences as UX practitioners in the federal government. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/04/21/uswds-monthly-call-april-2022/ Thu, 21 Apr 2022 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/04/21/uswds-monthly-call-april-2022/ Our friends at Digital.gov will join us to talk through their experience migrating to USWDS 3.0. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/03/09/plain-language-compassion-help-people-in-crisis/ Wed, 09 Mar 2022 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/03/09/plain-language-compassion-help-people-in-crisis/ Meet the content strategists who worked to transform FindTreatment.gov to connect people in crisis with the help that they need. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/02/24/language-connections-tips-to-create-maintain-and-present-non-english-digital-content/ Thu, 24 Feb 2022 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/02/24/language-connections-tips-to-create-maintain-and-present-non-english-digital-content/ Tips to help you improve access to your non-English digital content. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/01/13/overcoming-your-fear-of-data/ Thu, 13 Jan 2022 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2022/01/13/overcoming-your-fear-of-data/ Learn how to overcome resistance to data analytics and visualization, ask the right questions, and improve customer experience. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/12/08/results-of-the-2021-federal-report-card/ Wed, 08 Dec 2021 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/12/08/results-of-the-2021-federal-report-card/ David Lipscomb from the Center for PL will review the results of this year’s Federal Plain Language Report Card and answer questions. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/09/21/2021-federal-plain-language-summit/ Tue, 21 Sep 2021 10:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/09/21/2021-federal-plain-language-summit/ On 9/21/21, PLAIN’s Fourth Federal PL Summit showcases federal employees’ plain language projects. Topics include COVID-19 agency responses, accessibility, user experience, and career enhancement. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/09/01/fedramp-dap-case-study-part-2-reporting-and-decision-making/ Wed, 01 Sep 2021 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/09/01/fedramp-dap-case-study-part-2-reporting-and-decision-making/ In this second part of our analytics case study series, we’ll address how to pull reporting and conduct analysis through the lens of your analytics strategy. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/07/28/fedramp-dap-case-study-part-1-assessing-analytics-strategy/ Wed, 28 Jul 2021 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/07/28/fedramp-dap-case-study-part-1-assessing-analytics-strategy/ In this two-part Analytics Case Study, we’ll speak with the GSA’s FedRAMP team about their analytics strategy, data collection, reporting, and subsequent decision-making for a new site launch. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/07/15/digital-meets-culture-getting-your-culture-in-line-with-your-digital-strategy/ Thu, 15 Jul 2021 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/07/15/digital-meets-culture-getting-your-culture-in-line-with-your-digital-strategy/ Join Digital.gov’s Web Managers Community as they host a discussion with panelists from the Lab at OPM, National Institutes of Health, Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, and Presidential Innovation Fellows. The panel will discuss how to align culture and digital strategy to build better digital services. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/06/22/2021-user-experience-summit/ Tue, 22 Jun 2021 11:01:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/06/22/2021-user-experience-summit/ A 3-day remote summit covering User Experience (UX) management in the government. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/06/09/plain-language-webinar-using-words-to-build-better-digital-experiences/ Wed, 09 Jun 2021 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/06/09/plain-language-webinar-using-words-to-build-better-digital-experiences/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/04/14/how-testing-your-documents-can-improve-plain-language-compliance/ Wed, 14 Apr 2021 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/04/14/how-testing-your-documents-can-improve-plain-language-compliance/ Usability testing isn’t only for websites. Come work with Dr. Ginny Redish and try out three techniques for quick and easy ways to test the usability of your documents. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/01/21/uswds-monthly-call-journey-mapping-service-blueprints-jan-2021/ Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:30:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/01/21/uswds-monthly-call-journey-mapping-service-blueprints-jan-2021/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/01/11/how-to-navigate-challenges-to-successfully-a-b-test-your-emails/ Mon, 11 Jan 2021 14:30:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2021/01/11/how-to-navigate-challenges-to-successfully-a-b-test-your-emails/ In this talk, we will provide better understanding of how CFPB conducts email A/B testing, see examples of email A/B tests, and discuss lessons learned. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/12/03/practical-tips-for-accessible-content-and-multilingual-websites/ Thu, 03 Dec 2020 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/12/03/practical-tips-for-accessible-content-and-multilingual-websites/ In this talk, we’ll focus on content creation and how accessibility supports multilingual work. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/11/12/customer-experience-continuous-improvement-the-usps-digital-approach/ Thu, 12 Nov 2020 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/11/12/customer-experience-continuous-improvement-the-usps-digital-approach/ This presentation lays out USPS.com’s continuous improvement approach and how it combines analytics and customer feedback with iterative heuristic reviews, design, and usability testing to monitor, improve, and evolve the USPS.com CX. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/10/27/plain-language-summit-2020/ Tue, 27 Oct 2020 10:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/10/27/plain-language-summit-2020/ Join us for discussion from government and private-sector leaders on how to advance plain language in government communications. Hear lessons learned and victories of every size. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/10/21/analytics-case-study-part-3-action/ Wed, 21 Oct 2020 13:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/10/21/analytics-case-study-part-3-action/ In this webinar, we’ll address how to use the analysis and insights you created using DAP Google Analytics, to take action. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/10/15/uswds-monthly-call-october-2020/ Thu, 15 Oct 2020 14:30:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/10/15/uswds-monthly-call-october-2020/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/09/24/dap-analytics-case-study-part-2/ Thu, 24 Sep 2020 15:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/09/24/dap-analytics-case-study-part-2/ In this workshop, we’ll address how to pull reporting and conduct analysis through the lens of your analytics strategy. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/09/10/taking-plain-language-workshop-online/ Thu, 10 Sep 2020 13:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/09/10/taking-plain-language-workshop-online/ Take this three-hour online workshop to learn how to write and edit in plain language. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/08/26/dap-analytics-case-study-part-1/ Wed, 26 Aug 2020 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/08/26/dap-analytics-case-study-part-1/ In this workshop, we’ll address how to assess your web analytics strategy to ensure you’re pulling the most impactful and relevant data to enrich your analysis and understanding of your website performance. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/08/20/uswds-monthly-call-august-2020/ Thu, 20 Aug 2020 14:30:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/08/20/uswds-monthly-call-august-2020/ Join U.S. Web Design System Product Lead, Dan Williams, as we talk about the design system and answer your questions. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/08/11/plain-language-basics-online-class/ Tue, 11 Aug 2020 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/08/11/plain-language-basics-online-class/ Take this three-hour online workshop to learn how to write and edit in plain language. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/07/28/2020-government-ux-summit/ Tue, 28 Jul 2020 11:30:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/07/28/2020-government-ux-summit/ A remote event covering user experience (UX) methods, service design, and managing UX in the government. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/07/23/dap-learning-series-lessons-from-canadaca/ Thu, 23 Jul 2020 14:30:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/07/23/dap-learning-series-lessons-from-canadaca/ In this session, we’ll be joined by Nicholas Pjontek of Canada.ca. Nick will talk about some of the analytics goals, lessons, barriers, and successes in the government of Canada. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/07/09/making-remote-work-work-for-journey/ Thu, 09 Jul 2020 13:30:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/07/09/making-remote-work-work-for-journey/ Join us for a discussion about the value of journey mapping, and how to adapt the mapping process to make the most out of remote collaboration. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/06/24/dap-learning-series-shifting-your-metrics/ Wed, 24 Jun 2020 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/06/24/dap-learning-series-shifting-your-metrics/ In this session, we’ll discuss the classic suite of “marketing metrics” vs what’s more important to us in government “content-based metrics”. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/06/18/uswds-monthly-call-design-modernization-importance/ Thu, 18 Jun 2020 15:30:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/06/18/uswds-monthly-call-design-modernization-importance/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2020/06/16/build-sites-address-entire-user-journey/ Tue, 16 Jun 2020 15:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2020/06/16/build-sites-address-entire-user-journey/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/05/27/dap-learning-series-become-a-dap/ Wed, 27 May 2020 13:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/05/27/dap-learning-series-become-a-dap/ In this session, we’ll tell you about the Digital Analytics Program’s Certified Analyst exam and how you can use it to demonstrate your analytics mastery! /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/05/21/uswds-monthly-call-may-2020/ Thu, 21 May 2020 15:30:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/05/21/uswds-monthly-call-may-2020/ The May 2020 USWDS monthly call revisited the design system’s card and forms components. Speakers also paid special attention to data visualization. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2020/05/12/promote-continuity-better-support-customer-journeys/ Tue, 12 May 2020 17:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2020/05/12/promote-continuity-better-support-customer-journeys/ This week, we’re exploring what it means to promote continuity, and we’re taking a look at ways to use service design to deliver a great experience. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/04/23/dap-learning-series-an-introduction-basics/ Thu, 23 Apr 2020 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/04/23/dap-learning-series-an-introduction-basics/ New to DAP? No problem. Join us to learn about the reporting interface, common terminology, and basic reports. This 2.5 - 3 hour session is designed for novice users to “get off the ground” with DAP and Google Analytics. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/03/25/dap-learning-series-justifying-web-analysts/ Wed, 25 Mar 2020 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/03/25/dap-learning-series-justifying-web-analysts/ In this workshop, we’ll address how to think about justifying an analyst role on your team, and talk about the role’s many hats, as well as making the business case to your leadership team. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2020/03/17/updates-on-21st-century-idea-key/ Tue, 17 Mar 2020 12:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2020/03/17/updates-on-21st-century-idea-key/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/03/11/katherine-spivey-on-readability-audits-government/ Wed, 11 Mar 2020 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/03/11/katherine-spivey-on-readability-audits-government/ In this meeting, we’ll talk about readability audits and formulas and how they work—and don’t work—to improve web content and the users’ experience. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2020/02/27/call-for-government-ux-summit/ Thu, 27 Feb 2020 09:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2020/02/27/call-for-government-ux-summit/ We’re looking for speakers to share their experiences as UX practitioners in government. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/02/25/making-a-mobilefriendly-website-using-adapt/ Tue, 25 Feb 2020 15:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/02/25/making-a-mobilefriendly-website-using-adapt/ 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: /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/02/19/dap-learning-series-youtube-event-option/ Wed, 19 Feb 2020 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2020/02/19/dap-learning-series-youtube-event-option/ In this session, you’ll learn how to track plays of embedded YouTube videos on your DAP-enabled pages, and how to create reports for analysis. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2020/02/11/deep-dive-into-ux-field/ Tue, 11 Feb 2020 12:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2020/02/11/deep-dive-into-ux-field/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2019/12/17/ux-documentation-convince-them-problem-real/ Tue, 17 Dec 2019 15:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2019/12/17/ux-documentation-convince-them-problem-real/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2019/11/13/ginny-redish-how-collaborate-on-strategies/ Wed, 13 Nov 2019 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2019/11/13/ginny-redish-how-collaborate-on-strategies/ How does content strategy mesh with business, user experience (UX), and a marketing strategy? /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2019/06/10/success-story-us-web-design-system/ Mon, 10 Jun 2019 11:00:00 +0000 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2019/06/10/success-story-us-web-design-system/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2019/05/21/2019-virtual-student-federal-service-vsfs-info-session/ Tue, 21 May 2019 13:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2019/05/21/2019-virtual-student-federal-service-vsfs-info-session/ An overview of how your agency can participate in this year’s VSFS program. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2019/05/20/humancentered-design-for-it-centralization/ Mon, 20 May 2019 13:00:00 +0000 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2019/05/20/humancentered-design-for-it-centralization/ Are you working on an IT centralization project? Here is why taking the time to prioritize users is important and will result in services that work better for the people you serve. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2019/05/15/2019-government-ux-summit/ Wed, 15 May 2019 09:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2019/05/15/2019-government-ux-summit/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2019/05/07/journey-maps-as-communication-tools/ Tue, 07 May 2019 10:00:00 +0000 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2019/05/07/journey-maps-as-communication-tools/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2019/04/16/an-introduction-dha-usability-lab-overview-case-studies-whats-next/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2019/04/16/an-introduction-dha-usability-lab-overview-case-studies-whats-next/ Join us for an overview of the DHA Usability Lab, and the resources they provide to improve customer experience. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/resources/how-track-performance/ Wed, 10 Apr 2019 18:04:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/resources/how-track-performance/ A step-by-step guide to picking metrics and tools for tracking performance on your site. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2019/04/09/caroline-jarrett-on-how-design-a-better-form/ Tue, 09 Apr 2019 15:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2019/04/09/caroline-jarrett-on-how-design-a-better-form/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2019/04/08/introducing-uswds-2/ Mon, 08 Apr 2019 09:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2019/04/08/introducing-uswds-2/ Today’s update introduces a powerful toolkit of new features to help make creating useful, consistent digital services faster, simpler, and more fun. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/18f-methods/ Tue, 02 Apr 2019 17:25:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/18f-methods/ A collection of tools that describe how teams can put human-centered design into practice. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2019/02/27/dalia-elshimy-on-mixed-methods-design-research/ Wed, 27 Feb 2019 14:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2019/02/27/dalia-elshimy-on-mixed-methods-design-research/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/12/10/an-introduction-usability-testing-why/ Mon, 10 Dec 2018 09:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/12/10/an-introduction-usability-testing-why/ /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/08/30/collaborating-for-better-design-technology-user-experience/ Thu, 30 Aug 2018 12:18:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/08/30/collaborating-for-better-design-technology-user-experience/ Overview of initiatives across Federal government that focus on IT design, development and accessibility. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2018/08/24/getting-started-with-uswds-20/ Fri, 24 Aug 2018 13:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2018/08/24/getting-started-with-uswds-20/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2018/07/20/plain-language-summit-2018/ Fri, 20 Jul 2018 10:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2018/07/20/plain-language-summit-2018/ The federal Plain Language community is holding their first all-day summit in Washington D.C., and you’re invited! /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/07/17/experiments-in-tweaking-agile-for-ux/ Tue, 17 Jul 2018 09:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/07/17/experiments-in-tweaking-agile-for-ux/ Designers at the Federal Reserve Board share how they adjusted the agile process to work better for their team. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/07/10/introducing-accessibility-for-teams/ Tue, 10 Jul 2018 16:38:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/07/10/introducing-accessibility-for-teams/ A quick-start guide for embedding accessibility and inclusive design into a team’s workflow. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/content-design/ Mon, 09 Jul 2018 09:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/content-design/ Getting started How to use this guide: We recommend conducting accessibility testing throughout the design and development processes. If you have project-specific questions, ask your agency’s accessibility team. Plain language Can you quickly understand the main points of the content? Why it’s important Karin is not a native English speaker and she sometimes has trouble decoding legal or bureaucratic language. John has a developmental disability and has difficulty interpreting content written above a sixth-grade reading level. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/front-end-development/ Mon, 09 Jul 2018 09:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/front-end-development/ Getting started Accessible front-end development ensures people with different abilities can access, understand, and navigate web content, regardless of how they’re accessing it. Front-end developers collaborate with other members of a cross-functional team to implement a robust user experience. How to use this guide: We recommend conducting accessibility testing throughout the design and development processes. A good place to start testing is on high-touch pages, critical user paths, and site-wide templates. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/product-management/ Mon, 09 Jul 2018 09:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/product-management/ Getting started Product managers play a vital role in communicating accessibility requirements early in the project lifecycle, ensuring each team member knows their responsibility, and keeping the team accountable for building accessible products. Following these steps, you’ll make sure you’re not only following legal requirements, but making your product more usable for everyone. Why you should care Any product released by the government must conform to the standards of Section 508 (which aligns with the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/ux-design/ Mon, 09 Jul 2018 09:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/ux-design/ Getting started Accessibility is usability for people who interact with products differently. Your role is to help the team approach accessibility as a facet of user experience rather than checklist of requirements. How to use this guide: If you have project-specific questions, ask your agency’s accessibility team. Inclusive design Adopt an inclusive design mentality Celebrate accessibility requirements as a set of design constraints that help you create a better product for all users. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/visual-design/ Mon, 09 Jul 2018 09:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/visual-design/ Getting started Everyone benefits from designs that are easier to see. People with different visual abilities see your designs in varying ways—the diverse nature of impairments creates a wide variation in how your designs are perceived. A clean and clear visual presentation helps everyone make sense of a website’s information and functionality. How to use this guide: We recommend planning for accessibility in your design process and regularly conducting accessibility testing throughout the design and development processes. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2018/06/14/usability-testing-with-steve-krug/ Thu, 14 Jun 2018 15:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/event/2018/06/14/usability-testing-with-steve-krug/ Join us for a 90-minute demonstration and talk with Steve Krug, where he will share how you can get started making usability fixes, no matter what your full-time job is. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/04/02/marketing-government-through-agency-partnerships/ Mon, 02 Apr 2018 12:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/04/02/marketing-government-through-agency-partnerships/ The Outreach and Marketing team from USAGov helps agencies amplify their key messages through a variety of channels. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/03/07/redesigning-an-intranet-site-final-stages-launch-lessons-learned/ Wed, 07 Mar 2018 12:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/03/07/redesigning-an-intranet-site-final-stages-launch-lessons-learned/ Helpful lessons from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) on the redesign of an intranet. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/02/13/why-your-team-needs-its-own-style-guide-where-start/ Tue, 13 Feb 2018 10:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/02/13/why-your-team-needs-its-own-style-guide-where-start/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/02/05/using-journey-mapping-streamline-processes-across-agencies/ Mon, 05 Feb 2018 11:52:00 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/02/05/using-journey-mapping-streamline-processes-across-agencies/ How one team used journey mapping to improve the customer experience for newly naturalized citizens attempting to travel abroad. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/10/03/3-ways-manage-research-projects-remotely/ Tue, 03 Oct 2017 16:28:00 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/10/03/3-ways-manage-research-projects-remotely/ Being a remote team doesn’t mean you should forgo any of your research rituals. It means finding different ways to do them. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/09/28/finding-usability-testers-tips-from-an-army-recruiter/ Thu, 28 Sep 2017 14:50:00 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/09/28/finding-usability-testers-tips-from-an-army-recruiter/ An Army recruiter shares how her training in the Army has helped in her approach to usability testing, and gives a peek inside how usability testing works for USAJOBS.gov at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/09/25/slack-ama-connect-standards-team-with-public/ Mon, 25 Sep 2017 15:47:04 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/09/25/slack-ama-connect-standards-team-with-public/ The Standards team hosted their first AMA (Ask Me Anything) with the public in August. Here’s a breakdown of the big topics discussed during the chat. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/09/20/a-conversation-with-itif-about-state-federal-government-websites/ Wed, 20 Sep 2017 11:00:00 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/09/20/a-conversation-with-itif-about-state-federal-government-websites/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/09/18/design-conflict-do-you-know-your-conflict-style/ Mon, 18 Sep 2017 09:00:34 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/09/18/design-conflict-do-you-know-your-conflict-style/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/09/11/cfpb-serves-up-financial-tips-to-seniors/ Mon, 11 Sep 2017 10:00:44 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/09/11/cfpb-serves-up-financial-tips-to-seniors/ 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 & /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/08/28/government-launches-login-gov-to-simplify-access-to-public-services/ Mon, 28 Aug 2017 09:04:54 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/08/28/government-launches-login-gov-to-simplify-access-to-public-services/ Joel Minton, a member of the U.S. Digital Service, is working with GSA’s Technology Transformation Service as the director of login.gov. Tom Mills is the Chief Technology Architect at U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In early April, the U.S. Digital Service and 18F launched login.gov, a single sign-on solution for government websites that will enable /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/08/17/shedding-light-on-underserved-users-through-research/ Thu, 17 Aug 2017 02:29:33 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/08/17/shedding-light-on-underserved-users-through-research/ How user interviews helped spotlight the needs of a previously forgotten group. We may not like to admit it, but, most web services or sites have users that (for whatever reason) just aren’t well understood—and in turn, not well served. Conducting user interviews and making sure you get good participation from those groups can help /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/08/09/the-data-briefing-federal-government-pioneers-in-virtual-realityaugmented-reality-training/ Wed, 09 Aug 2017 05:59:54 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/08/09/the-data-briefing-federal-government-pioneers-in-virtual-realityaugmented-reality-training/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/08/03/cutting-edge-new-virtual-training-prepares-first-responders-for-active-shooter-incidents/ Thu, 03 Aug 2017 12:14:24 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/08/03/cutting-edge-new-virtual-training-prepares-first-responders-for-active-shooter-incidents/ Amidst the chaos of an active shooter event, preparedness is key to a seamless, swift and effective response—and a new video game funded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory just might do the trick. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/07/31/have-you-critiqued-your-critique-process/ Mon, 31 Jul 2017 12:00:00 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/07/31/have-you-critiqued-your-critique-process/ DEMO Whenever I hear someone complain about the process of a design critique, I’m always a bit surprised. Blame it on the fact /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/07/26/the-data-briefing-ten-years-of-digital-transformation-lessons-learned/ Wed, 26 Jul 2017 12:00:00 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/07/26/the-data-briefing-ten-years-of-digital-transformation-lessons-learned/ Since 2007, a major consulting firm has conducted an annual survey on organizations’ “Digital IQ.” In the ten years of organizations grappling with digital transformation, what has been learned? /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/07/03/vets-gov-a-modern-software-development-environment-in-government/ Mon, 03 Jul 2017 15:36:05 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/07/03/vets-gov-a-modern-software-development-environment-in-government/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/06/30/va-innovators-network-program-ahead-of-the-curve-in-healthcare-innovation/ Fri, 30 Jun 2017 11:00:59 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/06/30/va-innovators-network-program-ahead-of-the-curve-in-healthcare-innovation/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/06/20/improving-customer-experience-with-digital-personas/ Tue, 20 Jun 2017 10:55:09 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/06/20/improving-customer-experience-with-digital-personas/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/06/06/opening-public-services-to-artificial-intelligence-assistants/ Tue, 06 Jun 2017 14:02:20 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/06/06/opening-public-services-to-artificial-intelligence-assistants/ “Hey, Computer, how do I access my public services?” Citizens will soon be able to ask their Intelligent Personal Assistants (IPA) this question through an Emerging Citizen Technology open-sourced pilot program. The purpose of the initiative is to guide dozens of federal programs make public service information available through automated, self-service platforms for the home /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/06/06/the-new-fec-gov/ Tue, 06 Jun 2017 10:25:09 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/06/06/the-new-fec-gov/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/05/02/getmyfuture-org-essential-youth-resources-now/ Tue, 02 May 2017 14:00:39 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/05/02/getmyfuture-org-essential-youth-resources-now/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/04/12/how-the-u-s-customs-and-border-protection-uses-the-u-s-web-design-standards/ Wed, 12 Apr 2017 11:00:14 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/04/12/how-the-u-s-customs-and-border-protection-uses-the-u-s-web-design-standards/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/04/04/color-in-digital-design/ Tue, 04 Apr 2017 11:00:46 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/04/04/color-in-digital-design/ 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? /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/03/31/engineering-the-chaski-relay-a-touchscreen-game-at-the-national-museum-of-american-indian/ Fri, 31 Mar 2017 11:00:22 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/03/31/engineering-the-chaski-relay-a-touchscreen-game-at-the-national-museum-of-american-indian/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/03/29/a-complete-redesign-with-you-in-mind/ Wed, 29 Mar 2017 01:00:36 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/03/29/a-complete-redesign-with-you-in-mind/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/03/24/nasas-journey-with-the-u-s-web-design-standards/ Fri, 24 Mar 2017 15:17:05 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/03/24/nasas-journey-with-the-u-s-web-design-standards/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/03/24/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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/03/24/new-itif-report-inspires-a-closer-look-at-website-performance-and-security-here-is-where-to-begin/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/03/22/mythbusters-guide-to-accessibility-what-weve-learned-about-508-compliance-that-all-technologists-can-use/ Wed, 22 Mar 2017 12:14:30 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/03/22/mythbusters-guide-to-accessibility-what-weve-learned-about-508-compliance-that-all-technologists-can-use/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/03/16/buzzwords-for-2017/ Thu, 16 Mar 2017 11:00:07 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/03/16/buzzwords-for-2017/ Along with the New Year comes new buzzwords. Here are some that you are certain to hear about and see this year. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/03/08/digitalgov-readers-and-subscribers-we-want-to-talk-to-you-again/ Wed, 08 Mar 2017 01:19:51 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/03/08/digitalgov-readers-and-subscribers-we-want-to-talk-to-you-again/ We at DigitalGov want to hear more about you – your job, your role, the challenges you face — all of it — as you work to deliver more secure, effective, and reliable digital services for the public. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/02/09/webinar-recap-better-faster-and-more-flexible-u-s-web-design-standards-update/ Thu, 09 Feb 2017 12:00:10 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/02/09/webinar-recap-better-faster-and-more-flexible-u-s-web-design-standards-update/ 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). /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/ Wed, 01 Feb 2017 09:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/ A ‘quick-start’ guide for embedding accessibility and inclusive design practices into your team’s workflow /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/01/11/digitalgov-university-in-review-2016-training-trends/ Wed, 11 Jan 2017 12:00:02 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/01/11/digitalgov-university-in-review-2016-training-trends/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/12/08/the-smithsonians-ipop-exhibition-framework-lessons-for-a-human-centered-content-approach/ Thu, 08 Dec 2016 12:30:40 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/12/08/the-smithsonians-ipop-exhibition-framework-lessons-for-a-human-centered-content-approach/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/12/01/lessons-learned-evaluating-video-content/ Thu, 01 Dec 2016 12:00:23 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/12/01/lessons-learned-evaluating-video-content/ If you were to perform research on the value proposition of training videos, you would notice that opinions are split on their efficacy. Despite all the tools that are out there that can help you evaluate video quality, views, and drop-off, there are some things that should be considered in the analysis of your organization’s /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/11/17/webinar-recap-social-media-plus-stakeholder-engagement-equals-outreach-success/ Thu, 17 Nov 2016 14:00:46 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/11/17/webinar-recap-social-media-plus-stakeholder-engagement-equals-outreach-success/ Summary: How to leverage your resources to reach Spanish-dominant Hispanics online. A recent DigitalGov University (DGU) webinar provided an introduction to the intersection of two teams with different audiences reaching consensus on goals to maximize insight and outreach effectiveness. Social Media Outreach Goals What does social media outreach success look like? Success is when agencies /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/11/16/meeting-patients-where-they-are-liberating-clinical-trials-data-under-the-cancer-moonshot/ Wed, 16 Nov 2016 13:00:23 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/11/16/meeting-patients-where-they-are-liberating-clinical-trials-data-under-the-cancer-moonshot/ Cancer clinical trials are a critically important step on the pathway for new or improved treatments to make their way to patients in clinics and hospitals in towns and cities across the country. Patients and their loved ones are relying on these rigorous studies to determine whether promising new therapies and approaches might extend how /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/10/26/the-data-briefing-help-predict-the-future-of-federal-government-data/ Wed, 26 Oct 2016 13:00:55 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/10/26/the-data-briefing-help-predict-the-future-of-federal-government-data/ In December, I plan to write two postings detailing a scenario analysis for the next ten years of the Federal government’s data technologies. Governments are on the cusp of amazing technological advances propelled by artificial intelligence, blockchain technologies, and the Internet of Things. Also, governments will face new challenges such as the recent global cyber /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/10/25/digitalgov-readers-and-subscribers-we-want-to-talk-to-you/ Tue, 25 Oct 2016 15:00:21 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/10/25/digitalgov-readers-and-subscribers-we-want-to-talk-to-you/ As you know, over the last few years DigitalGov has surfaced the innovative advancements many are making across the government space while providing a platform for learning best practices and coming together as a community. Over the course of the next few weeks, a small team from /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/10/21/dear-search-reading-between-the-lines-of-search-data/ Fri, 21 Oct 2016 11:00:34 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/10/21/dear-search-reading-between-the-lines-of-search-data/ Welcome to the first Dear Search article, an occasional series where the DigitalGov Search team addresses common search questions. Dear Search, Right now, I am building up user research services that can be offered to product owners on a regular or as-needed basis. So, being able to look at search trends and offer advice to /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/10/17/analytics-success-series-usa-gov/ Mon, 17 Oct 2016 11:00:04 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/10/17/analytics-success-series-usa-gov/ USA.gov’s Analytics Success: using analytics data to inform design and responsivity to create a better experience for the user Last year, the USA.gov team found themselves facing a challenge. We were in need of a new content management system for our websites, USA.gov and Gobierno.USA.gov, which help people find and understand the most frequently requested /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/10/13/progressive-web-applications-part-2-pros-cons-and-looking-ahead/ Thu, 13 Oct 2016 11:00:04 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/10/13/progressive-web-applications-part-2-pros-cons-and-looking-ahead/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/10/12/the-data-briefing-twenty-years-of-usajobs/ Wed, 12 Oct 2016 13:00:42 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/10/12/the-data-briefing-twenty-years-of-usajobs/ I recently sat down with Michelle Earley, Program Manager, to discuss the new changes for the 20th anniversary of USAJOBS. 1) What are the three big lessons learned from 20 years of building and managing USAJOBS? I think one of the greatest benefits of being an Agile program is that we are constantly learning. In /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/30/creating-wall-sized-interaction-at-the-smithsonians-national-air-and-space-museum/ Fri, 30 Sep 2016 01:00:59 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/30/creating-wall-sized-interaction-at-the-smithsonians-national-air-and-space-museum/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/29/voices-of-veterans-introducing-personas-to-better-understand-our-customers/ Thu, 29 Sep 2016 11:00:46 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/29/voices-of-veterans-introducing-personas-to-better-understand-our-customers/ Understanding our Veterans and their unique needs and experiences is at the heart of creating a more Veteran-centered VA. By listening to their voices and the stories they share, we can design services and experiences that meet the needs of Veterans. Taking a step towards a deeper understanding of our Veterans, in the fall of /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/28/the-new-vote-gov-leaner-faster-and-multi-lingual/ Wed, 28 Sep 2016 11:00:27 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/28/the-new-vote-gov-leaner-faster-and-multi-lingual/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/27/webinar-recap-snaps-and-stripes-sharing-public-service-stories-with-snapchat/ Tue, 27 Sep 2016 11:00:50 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/27/webinar-recap-snaps-and-stripes-sharing-public-service-stories-with-snapchat/ Snapchat has quickly become an incredibly effective digital storytelling medium, and content creators across multiple government agencies have adopted it as an important part of their programs. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/20/progressive-web-applications-part-1-the-new-pack-mule-of-the-internet/ Tue, 20 Sep 2016 11:00:19 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/20/progressive-web-applications-part-1-the-new-pack-mule-of-the-internet/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/20/analytics-success-series-health-resources-services-administration/ Tue, 20 Sep 2016 02:00:17 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/20/analytics-success-series-health-resources-services-administration/ Health Resources and Services Administration’s Analytics Success: Using Analytics to Reduce Content and Improve User Experience Unlike out-of-town guests, you want your web visitors to stick around. So, if your site continues to see a bounce rate that stubbornly refuses to drop—it’s time to make some changes. That’s exactly what happened to the Health Resources /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/19/how-do-you-redesign-a-dinosaur-redesigning-an-intranet-site-the-beginning-stages/ Mon, 19 Sep 2016 10:00:56 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/19/how-do-you-redesign-a-dinosaur-redesigning-an-intranet-site-the-beginning-stages/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/16/social-security-joins-the-hispanic-heritage-month-celebration/ Fri, 16 Sep 2016 12:00:53 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/16/social-security-joins-the-hispanic-heritage-month-celebration/ Social Security joins you and your family in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15. We know the contributions of Hispanics can be traced to before the origins of the United States with the discovery, exploration, and naming of many places in our nation, such as state names like California, /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/15/analytics-success-series-usajobs/ Thu, 15 Sep 2016 13:00:46 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/15/analytics-success-series-usajobs/ USAJOBS’ Analytics Success: using analytics to create accurate testing strategies. Accurate testing strategies are crucial to ensure quality products. Hi-fidelity approaches ensure QA efforts are testing in a true-to-life manner, similar to real-world users. Inaccurate, lo-fidelity testing can miss situational bugs that become showstoppers in production. USAJOBS is leveraging the Digital Analytics Program (DAP) to /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/15/no-longer-an-idea-of-the-future-artificial-intelligence-is-here-and-you-are-probably-already-using-it/ Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:00:12 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/15/no-longer-an-idea-of-the-future-artificial-intelligence-is-here-and-you-are-probably-already-using-it/ It might surprise some of you to know that artificial intelligence (AI) is already in use and a routine part of our daily lives, but we leverage this technology when we use our smartphones or other devices to ask Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, Google Now, or Amazon’s Alexa a question to get the facts or data we /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/14/analytics-success-series-federal-trade-commission/ Wed, 14 Sep 2016 15:00:39 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/14/analytics-success-series-federal-trade-commission/ FTC’s Analytics Success: Making mission-related tasks easier for the user to find In the summer of 2015, members of the Federal Trade Commission’s Office of Public Affairs (OPA) Web team worked with their FTC colleagues to analyze Digital Analytics Program (DAP) Google Analytics data (onsite search queries, landing pages, pageviews, etc.) for FTC.gov. We found /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/08/sharing-the-story-of-innovation/ Thu, 08 Sep 2016 11:00:55 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/08/sharing-the-story-of-innovation/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/01/emma-friendly-presence-and-innovative-uscis-resource-available-247/ Thu, 01 Sep 2016 10:00:40 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/01/emma-friendly-presence-and-innovative-uscis-resource-available-247/ We are working hard to serve you and continue to make improvements to Emma, our Spanish-speaking Interactive Virtual Assistant. Help us improve Emma’s knowledge by continuing to ask your immigration-related questions on USCIS.gov/es from any device. This blog will help you understand a little bit more about how Emma works and how you can help /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/08/31/creative-usability-test-methods-or-my-brief-career-as-a-robot-voice/ Wed, 31 Aug 2016 12:00:42 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/08/31/creative-usability-test-methods-or-my-brief-career-as-a-robot-voice/ When you want to do a usability test, sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone and get creative to get the job done. That’s just what happened to us. We’re well practiced at usability testing at USAGov—in person, remote, hallway tests, first-click tests—all of these things we manage without blinking an eye. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/08/29/smithsonian-learning-lab-designing-for-the-classroom/ Mon, 29 Aug 2016 10:00:53 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/08/29/smithsonian-learning-lab-designing-for-the-classroom/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/08/25/how-creating-on-the-fly-digital-content-can-fill-an-immediate-audience-need/ Thu, 25 Aug 2016 11:00:32 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/08/25/how-creating-on-the-fly-digital-content-can-fill-an-immediate-audience-need/ When some U.S. athletes at this month’s Olympic Games started showing up at their events with dark red circles on their torsos, sports commentators and the media hungrily sought answers to what the marks could be. In less than a day after the spots were…spotted, the story of the mysterious circles was becoming clearer: they /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/08/15/celebrating-the-18th-anniversary-of-section-508-rehabilitation-act/ Mon, 15 Aug 2016 11:00:03 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/08/15/celebrating-the-18th-anniversary-of-section-508-rehabilitation-act/ August 8, 2016, marks the 18th anniversary of the amendment to the Section 508 Rehabilitation Act of 1973. To recognize the importance of IT accessibility, we wanted to highlight some agency initiatives to improve accessibility across the federal landscape. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/07/29/build-empathy-with-stakeholder-interviews-part-2-conversation/ Fri, 29 Jul 2016 12:00:13 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/07/29/build-empathy-with-stakeholder-interviews-part-2-conversation/ How to run user-interviews and synthesize and integrate the results into the teams shared understanding /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/07/26/summer-health-and-safety-a-new-resource-brought-to-you-by-cdc-and-nih/ Tue, 26 Jul 2016 13:00:44 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/07/26/summer-health-and-safety-a-new-resource-brought-to-you-by-cdc-and-nih/ We have previously written about microsites in the federal government. A microsite is a small collection of web pages—a subset of an organization’s full website. Partners can embed microsites that present curated information on a specific topic or campaign directly within their own websites. And perhaps best of all, microsites that are API-enabled are maintained and updated /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/07/12/catch-the-mall-with-pokemon-and-public-services/ Tue, 12 Jul 2016 15:58:53 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/07/12/catch-the-mall-with-pokemon-and-public-services/ “… I have never seen so many people of all ages walking around our civic spaces and small businesses interacting as I have this morning. Teens catching them. People catching them in line for coffee. Moms outsmarting their kids. Local youths teaching my toddler how to throw a ball. Full grown adults. Marines. Kids on /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/07/11/how-to-leverage-user-generated-content-to-resonate-with-your-audience/ Mon, 11 Jul 2016 13:30:29 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/07/11/how-to-leverage-user-generated-content-to-resonate-with-your-audience/ User-Generated Content (UGC) is a buzzword as of late, popularized recently due to the ever increasing demand for new content. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/07/08/introducing-the-digital-audiovideo-community-of-practice/ Fri, 08 Jul 2016 01:30:48 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/07/08/introducing-the-digital-audiovideo-community-of-practice/ Tech giants have changed the world of broadcast forever. In a little more than a year, video on Facebook went from being a seldomly seen media type on a user’s timeline to a strategic priority for Mark Zuckerberg. The platform now serves over 8 billion video views a day and Facebook continues to roll out improvements /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/07/06/the-data-briefing-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-chatbot-blockchain-digital-autonomous-organizations/ Wed, 06 Jul 2016 11:00:56 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/07/06/the-data-briefing-i-for-one-welcome-our-new-chatbot-blockchain-digital-autonomous-organizations/ It is at the intersections of fields where you find the most fascinating and innovative concepts. Recently, a conference on “Open Human Resources and the Cognitive Era” explored the use of chatbots and blockchain technologies in human resources. Human Resources (HR) is quietly undergoing a revolution as many HR practitioners are transforming HR by using /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/06/23/using-plain-language-to-bridge-the-gap-between-government-and-industry/ Thu, 23 Jun 2016 13:30:02 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/06/23/using-plain-language-to-bridge-the-gap-between-government-and-industry/ Much of our work with government partners to deliver better digital services has resulted in full websites, applications, and embarking on large-scale transformation efforts. In addition to those types of projects, we also work on shorter, faster, smaller-scale projects designed to show our partners different points of view and different techniques to approach their most /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/06/09/welcome-to-the-new-dhs-gov/ Thu, 09 Jun 2016 02:00:26 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/06/09/welcome-to-the-new-dhs-gov/ 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, /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/06/02/gsa-introduces-new-web-based-leasing-tool/ Thu, 02 Jun 2016 12:00:21 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/06/02/gsa-introduces-new-web-based-leasing-tool/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/06/01/the-user-centered-redesign-of-identitytheft-gov/ Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:30:14 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/06/01/the-user-centered-redesign-of-identitytheft-gov/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/05/31/our-cx-recipe-for-success-complete-with-ingredient-list-and-substitutions/ Tue, 31 May 2016 12:15:34 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/05/31/our-cx-recipe-for-success-complete-with-ingredient-list-and-substitutions/ If you were to spend any time with me in the kitchen, you would often find me searching out substitutions for ingredients that I don’t have on hand or have to drive 100 miles to find. I don’t want to abandon the recipe, so I substitute instead. I find that in the world of internal /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/05/23/the-content-corner-is-scheduling-social-media-posts-truly-social/ Mon, 23 May 2016 11:10:49 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/05/23/the-content-corner-is-scheduling-social-media-posts-truly-social/ Good communicators are always…well…evaluating the way they communicate. As we think of the “customer experience,” it is key to constantly consider your methods for engaging with your audience. Just as the platforms themselves continue to change to keep their audience, continuing to refine our ways of sending messages will assure that you don’t get left /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/05/23/kids-gov-reenvisioned/ Mon, 23 May 2016 10:00:16 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/05/23/kids-gov-reenvisioned/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/05/10/accessible-workplace-technology-signed-sealed-delivered/ Tue, 10 May 2016 10:00:28 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/05/10/accessible-workplace-technology-signed-sealed-delivered/ Last week, I had a brush with a bona fide music legend — the great Stevie Wonder. Was I starstruck? Of course. I’ve long admired his musical accomplishments and advocacy for people with disabilities. His appearance at the Grammy Awards in February highlighted once again the need to improve accessible technology, particularly in the workplace. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/05/02/redesigning-we-the-people/ Mon, 02 May 2016 11:32:09 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/05/02/redesigning-we-the-people/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/04/20/the-data-briefing-chatbots-and-the-rise-of-conversational-commerce-and-citizen-experience/ Wed, 20 Apr 2016 11:00:59 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/04/20/the-data-briefing-chatbots-and-the-rise-of-conversational-commerce-and-citizen-experience/ Ten months ago, I wrote about the rise of the post-app world in which mobile personal assistants would do the work of five to 10 apps combined. These mobile personal assistants, now known as chatbots, would work through conversational interfaces (voice and instant messaging, for example). The idea is to build more natural interfaces for people /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/04/18/the-content-corner-branches-stick-to-the-vine/ Mon, 18 Apr 2016 11:00:03 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/04/18/the-content-corner-branches-stick-to-the-vine/ A branch that does not stick to its source of nutrition will wither away and die. Just ask anyone who has received a bouquet of beautiful flowers about how long they really last. In the same way, as communicators we must stay connected to our audience, or we risk the chance of fading away into /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/04/14/the-usagov-bilingual-style-guide-is-now-online/ Thu, 14 Apr 2016 10:00:12 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/04/14/the-usagov-bilingual-style-guide-is-now-online/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/04/12/worth-a-thousand-words-announcing-ready-to-go-interactive-graphics-with-bls-news-releases/ Tue, 12 Apr 2016 10:00:16 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/04/12/worth-a-thousand-words-announcing-ready-to-go-interactive-graphics-with-bls-news-releases/ Last spring I wrote about how we’ve been using more and better charts and maps to help you understand our statistics. Today I’m excited to tell you about a new set of graphical tools to make our news releases more illuminating at the moment of their posting. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/04/07/ux-exponential-state-department-turning-bad-user-experiences-into-good/ Thu, 07 Apr 2016 11:10:12 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/04/07/ux-exponential-state-department-turning-bad-user-experiences-into-good/ How many times a day do you have a bad user experience? Did you have one: Riding the metro to work this morning this morning? Waiting for your email to open? Watching a way-too-long training video? Trying to find your way around a new-to-you building? How many times have you thought, “there has to be /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/04/04/digitalgov-podcast-behind-the-scenes-of-the-social-and-behavioral-science-team/ Mon, 04 Apr 2016 10:00:15 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/04/04/digitalgov-podcast-behind-the-scenes-of-the-social-and-behavioral-science-team/ The Social and Behavioral Sciences Team (SBST) uses theories, research, and methods from the social and behavioral sciences to address and solve challenges faced by the public. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/31/tag-management-a-digital-analysts-best-friend/ Thu, 31 Mar 2016 10:00:14 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/31/tag-management-a-digital-analysts-best-friend/ Tag managers can assist in collecting valuable data about visits to your website. Here at CFPB, we use Google Tag Manager (GTM), which is a free tool that works in tandem with Google Analytics to record and send data on how users interact with your website on an aggregate level, including which pages they view, where they /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/30/the-data-briefing-an-interview-with-usajobs-on-new-changes-to-their-data-services/ Wed, 30 Mar 2016 10:00:36 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/30/the-data-briefing-an-interview-with-usajobs-on-new-changes-to-their-data-services/ The Office of Personnel Management released a new look and functionality to USAJOBS in February. I recently contacted Michelle Earley, the USAJOBS Program Manager, to ask about the changes to USAJOBS and the data it provides. 1. What are /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/04/picture-this-3-ways-to-zoom-in-on-cross-agency-collaboration/ Fri, 04 Mar 2016 10:00:09 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/04/picture-this-3-ways-to-zoom-in-on-cross-agency-collaboration/ Cross-agency collaboration in the federal government has become a prevalent topic, more widely spoken and written about in the recent past than ever before, thanks, in part, to a bigger-than-ever focus on customer experience as a way of thinking within government. Rising customer expectations, advances in technology, and recommendations from government oversight organizations continue to /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/03/how-people-learn-to-navigate-government-services/ Thu, 03 Mar 2016 14:43:04 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/03/how-people-learn-to-navigate-government-services/ This is part three of a series detailing the findings of a team of researchers from 18F and the General Services Administration who studied broad trends in people’s perceptions of and interactions with the government. You can find the introduction to the series on our website and a complete pdf of the research findings on /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/01/informing-the-future-of-the-federal-front-door/ Tue, 01 Mar 2016 11:10:06 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/01/informing-the-future-of-the-federal-front-door/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/02/16/trends-on-tuesday-robot-messaging-goes-mainstream/ Tue, 16 Feb 2016 10:00:10 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/02/16/trends-on-tuesday-robot-messaging-goes-mainstream/ John Connor can’t save you. Robots are here to take over the world. Two interesting new consumer mobile and digital content experiences were launched in the past week, signaling some of the first mainstream brands embracing this new paradigm of interactive, bot-driven content experiences: Quartz’s News App and The New York Times Election Slack Bot. Both /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/02/10/paying-incentives-for-federal-user-research/ Wed, 10 Feb 2016 10:00:28 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/02/10/paying-incentives-for-federal-user-research/ Paying incentives to test participants is standard practice in research and usability testing. While some people may be willing to participate for free, many aren’t. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/01/14/tips-for-hallway-testing-from-nih/ Thu, 14 Jan 2016 11:10:14 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/01/14/tips-for-hallway-testing-from-nih/ Over the course of the last year, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) has sought to increase its use of usability testing to improve the user experience on our Web resources. To do this, we conducted hallway usability testing at the NIH Clinical Center on NLM’s site search feature. Our goal is to update the /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/01/05/digging-into-the-data-of-our-customer-survey/ Tue, 05 Jan 2016 09:00:06 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/01/05/digging-into-the-data-of-our-customer-survey/ As a follow-up to the recent post about our annual customer satisfaction survey, we wanted to dig into the data and share some of the overall results to give you some more insights into how we’re using your feedback to improve our programs and services. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/31/digitalgovs-2015-year-in-review/ Thu, 31 Dec 2015 11:00:26 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/31/digitalgovs-2015-year-in-review/ As we look ahead to 2016, we wanted to take a minute to look at our most popular content in 2015 and reflect on our second year. This was a big year for DigitalGov as we saw our session traffic nearly double and our weekly and daily email subscribers increase by 15%. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/31/how-abmc-got-started-with-mobile-app-development/ Thu, 31 Dec 2015 10:00:12 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/31/how-abmc-got-started-with-mobile-app-development/ The MobileGov Community of Practice put together six Mobile User Experience Guidelines to help keep mobile users in love with their apps. DigitalGov University hosted a webinar in which the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) highlighted two of these guidelines. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/30/the-data-briefing-design-for-developer-experience-dx-and-data-prosumer-experience-dpx/ Wed, 30 Dec 2015 11:00:01 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/30/the-data-briefing-design-for-developer-experience-dx-and-data-prosumer-experience-dpx/ Recently, DigitalGov devoted an entire month to exploring how good user experience (UX) helps government design better digital products and services. UX is the art and science of understanding how people will use a website or mobile app to solve a problem or meet a need. UX is a combination of neuroscience, communication theory, information /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/23/good-content-needs-plain-language/ Wed, 23 Dec 2015 13:48:55 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/23/good-content-needs-plain-language/ If good content is essential to good user experience, as Tyrus Manuel proposes in his November 23, 2015, DigitalGov post, then plain language is also part of good user experience. Plain language helps the public do what they need to do—find forms, apply for benefits, look up information and more—when they use federal websites and other /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/17/how-fsa-revamped-their-online-presence-with-mobile-moments-in-mind/ Thu, 17 Dec 2015 10:00:43 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/17/how-fsa-revamped-their-online-presence-with-mobile-moments-in-mind/ Let the mic drop! Mobile moments are created with the expectation that an app can stun the crowd. Do not let your audience down; they may never come back. Federal Student Aid (FSA), in an effort to provide better customer service, decided to build a mobile-responsive website. Kaegy Pabulos, a Borrower Experience Specialist and project /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/10/remote-user-experience-information-gathering-best-practices/ Thu, 10 Dec 2015 10:00:25 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/10/remote-user-experience-information-gathering-best-practices/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/09/connecting-with-the-social-and-behavioral-sciences-team/ Wed, 09 Dec 2015 01:40:55 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/09/connecting-with-the-social-and-behavioral-sciences-team/ The new Social and Behavioral Sciences Team (SBST) aims to make government programs more effective and efficient. Amira Choueiki from the SBST joined us to explain what the SBST does, and to discuss some of the projects they’ve worked on. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/27/government-product-managers-play-a-key-role-in-ux/ Fri, 27 Nov 2015 11:00:19 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/27/government-product-managers-play-a-key-role-in-ux/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/25/the-data-briefing-how-neuroscience-and-communication-theory-inform-good-user-experience-design/ Wed, 25 Nov 2015 11:00:51 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/25/the-data-briefing-how-neuroscience-and-communication-theory-inform-good-user-experience-design/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/23/the-content-corner-good-ux-needs-good-content/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 11:00:13 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/23/the-content-corner-good-ux-needs-good-content/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/20/ux-vs-cx-whats-the-dif-part-2/ Fri, 20 Nov 2015 11:10:26 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/20/ux-vs-cx-whats-the-dif-part-2/ In honor of World Usability Day, which happened on November 12, we’d like to demystify two extremely important and oft-confusing acronyms—CX and UX. Customer Experience (CX) and User Experience (UX), while related, focus on different aspects of service delivery. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/17/how-to-use-remote-data-strategically-in-ux/ Tue, 17 Nov 2015 13:00:55 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/17/how-to-use-remote-data-strategically-in-ux/ One of the challenges UX practitioners can face is how to communicate much of the data that’s out there. The key word is “communicate.” Since many of us are used to qualitative findings, making the jump to “hard data” can be a challenge. There are tools out there that make this easier, but we still /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/16/the-content-corner-user-research-for-complex-systems/ Mon, 16 Nov 2015 10:21:56 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/16/the-content-corner-user-research-for-complex-systems/ My office is preparing to embark on a complete redesign of a 10-year-old system that averages 20,000 users a month. The success and adoption of the new system design and the product as a whole will be heavily determined by how well our team translates users’ needs. Providing a good user experience will also play /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/10/trends-on-tuesday-5-tips-for-designing-touch-interactions/ Tue, 10 Nov 2015 10:00:14 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/10/trends-on-tuesday-5-tips-for-designing-touch-interactions/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/09/how-ux-effects-change-in-government-one-test-one-customer-survey-at-a-time/ Mon, 09 Nov 2015 12:23:18 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/09/how-ux-effects-change-in-government-one-test-one-customer-survey-at-a-time/ Over the past few years, many agencies have learned how to do user experience (UX) with few resources. And while that’s still a problem at many agencies, many UX initiatives have been gaining momentum and attracting new stakeholders. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/03/trends-on-tuesday-forecasting-the-internet-of-things/ Tue, 03 Nov 2015 10:00:36 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/03/trends-on-tuesday-forecasting-the-internet-of-things/ An industry group tracking the growth and production of the “Internet of Things,” a term given to Internet-connected devices and accessories, is predicting that growth will slow over the next 6 months, but then surge 3 times as fast, over the following year. The research was organized by the IoT M2M Council, which is made /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/21/gov-analytics-breakdown-2-mobile-is-bigger-than-ever/ Wed, 21 Oct 2015 13:22:30 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/21/gov-analytics-breakdown-2-mobile-is-bigger-than-ever/ A review of the Digital Analytics Program (DAP) data confirms what many are already saying: Content is being viewed on mobile devices more than ever before, and the percentage of sessions via mobile devices is growing. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/20/focus-on-mobile-performance/ Tue, 20 Oct 2015 11:32:21 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/20/focus-on-mobile-performance/ The New York Times recently published a report evaluating the cost of mobile ads on news websites and found that on many of the major sites, the ads were taking as much bandwidth and time as the content (if not more, in some cases). This comes after the recent hubub over Apple starting to allow /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/20/national-customer-service-week-is-over-but-our-work-is-not/ Tue, 20 Oct 2015 10:00:56 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/20/national-customer-service-week-is-over-but-our-work-is-not/ Get your customer personas right, and you will improve the customer experience (CX) for the rest of your audience. That’s advice Rick Parrish from Forrester Research gave in response to an audience question during the September 29 DigitalGov University webinar on the state of CX in the federal government. Your key customers are those that are most important to the organization, and often most /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/19/the-content-corner-helping-your-content-contributors/ Mon, 19 Oct 2015 10:04:17 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/19/the-content-corner-helping-your-content-contributors/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/16/why-your-user-experience-must-include-design-for-accessibility/ Fri, 16 Oct 2015 10:00:52 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/16/why-your-user-experience-must-include-design-for-accessibility/ Too often, usability and accessibility are confused with each other by our clients (stakeholders). They shouldn’t be, because while they are related, they are very different. So, how do you bring these two concepts together? They should really be working side-by-side throughout the ENTIRE process. This might seem like a no-brainer but it can be /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/15/gov-analytics-breakdown-1-browsers-chrome-takes-the-cake/ Thu, 15 Oct 2015 15:25:39 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/15/gov-analytics-breakdown-1-browsers-chrome-takes-the-cake/ We wanted to take a look at overall browser usage now that DAP has a few years of data, and the changes tell an interesting story. Here’s a breakdown of the percent of total sessions of the top five browsers during the last three years. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/09/21/how-a-two-day-sprint-moved-an-agency-twenty-years-forward/ Mon, 21 Sep 2015 10:00:49 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/09/21/how-a-two-day-sprint-moved-an-agency-twenty-years-forward/ At 18F Consulting, we experiment with ways to empower agencies to build cost-efficient, excellent digital solutions. Recently we partnered with the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) to run a two day “Design/Dev Agile Sprint.” Background: Investigators in Wage and Hour Division The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is responsible for /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/09/18/under-the-hood-building-a-new-college-scorecard-with-students/ Fri, 18 Sep 2015 11:00:10 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/09/18/under-the-hood-building-a-new-college-scorecard-with-students/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/09/04/faqs-done-right/ Fri, 04 Sep 2015 10:00:35 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/09/04/faqs-done-right/ In the circle of Web content life, FAQ sections are an endangered species. We’ve previously discussed the relevance of FAQs: Should FAQs go extinct, or are they a useful tool in your content ecosystem? Kathryn Catania, Chief of the Plain Language and Content Division at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, encourages agencies to take /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/31/mobile-content-less-is-more/ Mon, 31 Aug 2015 13:00:57 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/31/mobile-content-less-is-more/ With 14 test cycles under our belt, the Federal CrowdSource Mobile Testing Program has heard one recurring theme from our testers—”there’s too much information!” While both desktop monitor and smartphone screen sizes are growing, there is still no comparison. At our desks, many of us are using a 24 inch (or even bigger) monitor. How big is your /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/14/what-is-mobile-device-compatibility-testing/ Fri, 14 Aug 2015 11:10:12 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/14/what-is-mobile-device-compatibility-testing/ In most instances, your hardware and software are developed independently but are expected to function properly together. For example, when a Web application is developed in HTML, it is expected to function properly on an Apple computer using Safari as well as a Windows computer using Internet Explorer. This sounds simple, but there are thousands /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/12/journey-mapping-the-customer-experience-a-usa-gov-case-study/ Wed, 12 Aug 2015 10:00:21 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/12/journey-mapping-the-customer-experience-a-usa-gov-case-study/ Journey maps are a visual representation of a customer’s end to end journey with your product or service. They are a powerful tool for exploring key interactions and experiences with your organization, programs, and/or services. Journey maps describe a customer’s entire journey, even the parts that occur before and after contact with your organization. They /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/04/trends-on-tuesday-mobile-web-audiences-abandon-sites-with-interstitial-ads/ Tue, 04 Aug 2015 11:18:12 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/04/trends-on-tuesday-mobile-web-audiences-abandon-sites-with-interstitial-ads/ David Morell, a software engineer with Google, posted an interesting case study from the tech giant, sharing data about how users interacted with interstitials (ie webpages displayed before or after an expected content page) on their website. Their analysis showed that 69% of users completely abandoned the page and their original intent after being shown an interstitial. Interstitials take many /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/31/help-us-add-resources-to-the-updated-mobile-user-experience-guidelines/ Fri, 31 Jul 2015 13:10:20 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/31/help-us-add-resources-to-the-updated-mobile-user-experience-guidelines/ Government agencies need to make sure their mobile websites and native apps don’t become one of the estimated billions of applications that end up in the app graveyard. The need for digital products to work better is not new in the federal government. Resources like the Digital Playbook and Public Participation Playbook have had impact /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/30/community-rock-star-round-up/ Thu, 30 Jul 2015 10:00:21 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/30/community-rock-star-round-up/ Around this month’s Communities Theme, the DigitalGov team thought we’d round up your community rock stars. These are people in your communities who’ve gone above and beyond, who’ve contributed content, organized events, participated in developing toolkits and more. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/20/the-content-corner-determining-your-users-needs/ Mon, 20 Jul 2015 10:20:36 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/20/the-content-corner-determining-your-users-needs/ I recently wrapped up a series of user interviews as part of a review of our judiciary-wide intranet in order to provide better digital services to our customers (and yes, our internal users are our customers, not just the general public). /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/08/customer-service-trends-an-update/ Wed, 08 Jul 2015 10:00:36 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/08/customer-service-trends-an-update/ Earlier this year, we published 15 Government Customer Service Trends for 2015. We’re halfway through the year now—how are these trends holding up? 1. Centralized Customer Offices A few agencies have created centralized customer offices, while others question the need for a single organization that focuses on the customer. As the public’s overall satisfaction with /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/06/09/the-emulator-dilemma-can-mobile-device-testing-be-completed-without-mobile-devices/ Tue, 09 Jun 2015 11:10:14 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/06/09/the-emulator-dilemma-can-mobile-device-testing-be-completed-without-mobile-devices/ Government agencies have created a variety of apps to meet the needs of the public. As you join in on the mobile-first trend and begin developing your shiny new mobile application, you will need to test it. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/29/getting-to-know-your-users-tips-and-tricks-from-veterans-affairs/ Fri, 29 May 2015 10:00:22 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/29/getting-to-know-your-users-tips-and-tricks-from-veterans-affairs/ Design research isn’t rocket science. But for many of us in the federal government, it can seem daunting and unfamiliar. We’re here to to help demystify the process of design research for those of you ready to wade into the waters. We’ve both done our fair share of design researching at the Department of Veterans /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/27/studentaid-gov-using-data-to-empower-borrowers/ Wed, 27 May 2015 13:10:12 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/27/studentaid-gov-using-data-to-empower-borrowers/ It’s been a while, but in previous posts, I described what we’ve learned from operating StudentAid.gov, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid website created to educate students and borrowers about the federal student aid programs and process and help them make informed decisions about financing college and career school. We first /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/26/5-crucial-steps-for-conducting-an-effective-customer-interview/ Tue, 26 May 2015 11:10:18 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/26/5-crucial-steps-for-conducting-an-effective-customer-interview/ When focusing on customer experience, we all know that we need to truly understand our customer if we expect to provide them with an enjoyable experience. In an effort to do so, organizations often jump right to a survey to identify their customers’ needs and wants. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/08/customer-experience-and-user-experience-professionals-a-match-made-in-heaven/ Fri, 08 May 2015 09:50:44 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/08/customer-experience-and-user-experience-professionals-a-match-made-in-heaven/ Recently, Forrester Research analyst Leah Buley wrote a blog post and report that reminded me of our “what’s the diff?” article on customer experience vs. user experience. In them, she describes the difference between customer experience professionals (CX) and user experience professionals (UX). /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/01/creating-a-veterans-centered-experience-through-exploreva/ Fri, 01 May 2015 10:00:29 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/01/creating-a-veterans-centered-experience-through-exploreva/ Good customer service includes user-centered design. For one digital team at the Department of Veterans Affairs, creating a veterans-centered experience started with one word: explore. The ExploreVA website provides a single location for veterans and their families to research the benefits that they may be entitled to receive. Benefits include health care, education, employment, and /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/27/are-faqs-still-relevant/ Mon, 27 Apr 2015 13:10:19 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/27/are-faqs-still-relevant/ Users have questions. Your content and website navigation can help them find answers, or potentially cause frustration. One tool for answering questions is up for debate: are FAQ sections still relevant in 2015, or are they a relic of bygone days? Nielsen Norman Group recently published two articles arguing for the continued use and usefulness /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/17/focus-groups-are-they-right-for-you/ Fri, 17 Apr 2015 11:10:32 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/17/focus-groups-are-they-right-for-you/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/10/usability-testing-with-people-who-have-vision-impairment-is-difficult-reality-or-perception/ Fri, 10 Apr 2015 11:10:21 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/10/usability-testing-with-people-who-have-vision-impairment-is-difficult-reality-or-perception/ It’s a forgone conclusion that usability studies are effective in identifying weak points within a website, but what about testing people who are visually impaired? How hard is it to accommodate them? There are some additional challenges that you may encounter when conducting testing with people with disabilities; however, these challenges should not be considered /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/06/using-personas-to-better-understand-customers-usa-gov-case-study/ Mon, 06 Apr 2015 11:49:07 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/06/using-personas-to-better-understand-customers-usa-gov-case-study/ Personas are fictional characters that describe an organization’s customer behaviors, emotions, attributes, motivations, and goals. They are an important tool to share customer insights and understanding across an organization. Personas also serve as a check to make sure your organization’s actions meet the needs of the majority of customers, including visitors to your website, contact /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/02/careeronestops-newest-online-resources-targeted-to-user-needs/ Thu, 02 Apr 2015 10:17:09 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/02/careeronestops-newest-online-resources-targeted-to-user-needs/ When the Employment and Training Administration’s CareerOneStop team embarked on a redesign of the site’s online career, training, and job resources, they didn’t dive right into the technical work. Instead, they embraced a user-centered approach that focused on the user experience (UX). Focusing on UX means taking a step back /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/24/usability-design-for-kids-things-federal-workers-should-know/ Tue, 24 Mar 2015 10:00:50 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/24/usability-design-for-kids-things-federal-workers-should-know/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/23/the-content-corner-building-a-content-strategy/ Mon, 23 Mar 2015 09:45:24 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/23/the-content-corner-building-a-content-strategy/ I recently read a disheartening statistic which stated that only 32% of B2B organizations and 27% of B2C organizations had a documented content strategy. When you combine these results with the general assumption that the federal government lags behind in areas such as this (especially since content strategies have a marketing basis), then the number /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/19/getting-started-with-usability-testing/ Thu, 19 Mar 2015 02:10:54 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/19/getting-started-with-usability-testing/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/17/at-last-user-experience-performance-descriptions/ Tue, 17 Mar 2015 11:10:03 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/17/at-last-user-experience-performance-descriptions/ 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, /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/16/why-your-apis-need-design-help/ Mon, 16 Mar 2015 10:00:28 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/16/why-your-apis-need-design-help/ Anything built should be built right. It doesn’t matter if it’s built of wood, carbon nanotubes or code. So it’s encouraging that the practice of User-Centered Design—getting customer feedback at every stage of a project—is catching on with /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/13/goodgovux-addresses-ux-of-it-contracts/ Fri, 13 Mar 2015 10:00:27 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/13/goodgovux-addresses-ux-of-it-contracts/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/09/the-content-corner-performing-a-content-audit/ Mon, 09 Mar 2015 10:00:21 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/09/the-content-corner-performing-a-content-audit/ Audit. It’s a word that generally has no positive connotations whatsoever. We hear the word audit and we think of tax audits or timesheet audits, etc. The word normally strikes fear or dread in the hearts of most mortals. But it is also a task that all websites will need to perform from time to /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/06/the-usability-aha-moment-how-to-turn-cynics-into-converts/ Fri, 06 Mar 2015 11:19:33 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/06/the-usability-aha-moment-how-to-turn-cynics-into-converts/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/02/persona-development-case-study-nci-and-spanish-language-outreach/ Mon, 02 Mar 2015 10:00:16 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/02/persona-development-case-study-nci-and-spanish-language-outreach/ Government websites need to address the needs of diverse audiences. Although translations are a first step towards engaging non-English speaking audiences, the intended audience may be alienated if information is not presented in a culturally relevant way. The /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/27/foreignassistance-govs-redesign-using-agile-methodology-to-keep-users-in-mind/ Fri, 27 Feb 2015 10:00:43 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/27/foreignassistance-govs-redesign-using-agile-methodology-to-keep-users-in-mind/ Content is one of the most important things about your site. After all, it is what keeps your users engaged and keeps them coming back to your site. Depending on the type of website your agency manages, you should always think of ways to best deliver your content to your end users. If the content /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/25/avoid-weak-links-in-your-digital-chain/ Wed, 25 Feb 2015 11:10:25 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/25/avoid-weak-links-in-your-digital-chain/ Users don’t like surprises. Unexpected or unwanted content undermines the credibility of your agency and frustrates users who come to your website looking for specific information. Using links appropriately in your website content is one way to build trust with users, according to an article by Kara Pernice of the Nielsen Norman Group. Here’s a /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/24/trends-on-tuesday-mobile-web-lessons-from-the-crowdsource-mobile-testing-program/ Tue, 24 Feb 2015 10:00:03 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/24/trends-on-tuesday-mobile-web-lessons-from-the-crowdsource-mobile-testing-program/ Practice makes perfect. But in the mobile world, it’s testing that makes products better. For federal agencies that have developed their own apps or mobile-friendly sites, the CrowdSource Mobile Testing Program offers a simple way to collect feedback on compatibility testing. Since the program’s inception in March 2013, eight federal mobile websites (including responsive design) /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/18/8-new-federal-friendly-apps-and-services/ Wed, 18 Feb 2015 01:10:43 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/18/8-new-federal-friendly-apps-and-services/ Tackling technology tasks just got easier. Recently, federal agencies negotiated eight new Terms of Service (TOS) Agreements for free apps and services. DigitalGov has an extensive list of federal-friendly TOS agreements for free products, and the list is updated as new TOS agreements are created. Cyfe Cyfe, a business dashboard app, helps users monitor diverse data /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/13/institutionalizing-user-experience-building-usability-into-your-organization/ Fri, 13 Feb 2015 10:00:30 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/13/institutionalizing-user-experience-building-usability-into-your-organization/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/09/the-content-corner-content-pillars-the-foundation-of-any-effective-content-strategy/ Mon, 09 Feb 2015 01:33:53 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/09/the-content-corner-content-pillars-the-foundation-of-any-effective-content-strategy/ If you and your organization don’t already have a content strategy, then you are most likely working too hard to create content that is less effective in communicating your desired message and less relevant to your end-user. The lack of a content strategy can leave you at the mercy of the content “beast” where you /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/06/top-task-usability-design-for-your-users/ Fri, 06 Feb 2015 10:10:11 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/06/top-task-usability-design-for-your-users/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/06/getting-to-yes-working-with-vendors-to-secure-terms-of-service-and-federal-friendly-pricing/ Fri, 06 Feb 2015 09:00:32 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/06/getting-to-yes-working-with-vendors-to-secure-terms-of-service-and-federal-friendly-pricing/ The federal government is one of the largest consumers of products and services in the United States. Yet, many agencies face tight budgets and firm guidelines that restrict the parameters under which agencies can use a product or service to complete projects. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/05/u-s-public-participation-playbook-open-for-coders-and-designers-on-github/ Thu, 05 Feb 2015 11:47:52 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/05/u-s-public-participation-playbook-open-for-coders-and-designers-on-github/ We released the United States Public Participation Playbook this week, a new open resource agencies can use to evaluate and build better programs that give a voice to the people they serve—and the response was fantastic. Public servants and citizens around the world have shared it, and already are contributing new ideas that build from /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/29/how-government-will-accelerate-anytime-anywhere-services-and-information-in-2015/ Thu, 29 Jan 2015 03:19:04 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/29/how-government-will-accelerate-anytime-anywhere-services-and-information-in-2015/ Innovative wearables, stronger wifi and more 3D printing have been among the many projections for the future of mobile in 2015. Whatever comes to pass, we can be certain that the anytime, anywhere user will develop new habits and desires based on new trends. Government must accelerate its customer service approach with anytime, anywhere efforts to keep up. Here’s /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/28/6-digital-media-trends-for-2015-you-can-make-them-accessible/ Wed, 28 Jan 2015 02:30:19 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/28/6-digital-media-trends-for-2015-you-can-make-them-accessible/ Resolutions and predictions abound this time of year. If you’ve already lost the fight to finally give up sardine ice cream, you can always resolve to maintain or improve your digital media accessibility. Some people say that accessibility and Section 508 compliance squashes /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/27/7-ways-to-ignite-user-centered-design-at-your-agency/ Tue, 27 Jan 2015 10:00:54 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/27/7-ways-to-ignite-user-centered-design-at-your-agency/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/23/training-trends-in-2014/ Fri, 23 Jan 2015 10:00:50 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/23/training-trends-in-2014/ In recent years, DigitalGov University (DGU) has evolved from a prescriptive training program to a more agile program looking to federal government leaders like you to share the innovations, tools, resources, hurdles and case studies of how you work to meet the digital expectations of the 21st century citizen customer better. Whew. That’s a mouthful. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/16/how-to-run-an-agile-project-in-government/ Fri, 16 Jan 2015 11:10:59 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/16/how-to-run-an-agile-project-in-government/ For a seminar organized by DigitalGov University, Robert Read, the Managing Director at 18F, gave a presentation on agile methodologies in the federal government. Risk mitigation is a big advantage of using the agile methodology. The methodology deals with risk through the use of multiple iterations or “sprints” that ultimately lead to the development of /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/12/15-government-customer-service-trends-for-2015/ Mon, 12 Jan 2015 10:00:52 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/12/15-government-customer-service-trends-for-2015/ With public expectations at an all-time high, and trust in government nearing all-time lows, agencies need to step up their game. Veterans, seniors, students, taxpayers—all Americans—deserve the best service from their government. Here are our predictions for how the federal government will improve customer service in the coming year: 1. Many agencies will create a /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/09/trend-watch-2015-whats-in-the-forecast-for-digital-government/ Fri, 09 Jan 2015 12:44:18 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/09/trend-watch-2015-whats-in-the-forecast-for-digital-government/ In January on DigitalGov, we’ll highlight pieces looking at trends we see coming in the digital government space in 2015 and beyond. We have lined up articles around: Customer Service Data 3D Printing at NIH and NASA Accessibility Mobile, and Training. Check back Monday, when we kick-off the month with 15 Government Customer Service Trends. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/09/personas-101/ Fri, 09 Jan 2015 10:00:50 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/09/personas-101/ Personas are a tool that organizations can use to learn more about their users. They are used to learn as much as you can about end users in order to better the product or service you provide. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/02/past-present-future-usability-testing-at-the-national-library-of-medicine/ Fri, 02 Jan 2015 11:00:28 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/02/past-present-future-usability-testing-at-the-national-library-of-medicine/ Usability testing has provided our organization many important insights to improve our Web presence. Since the early 2000s, the National Library of Medicine (NLM)’s Web teams have actively sought and used usability testing tools; we have run “full service” usability testing almost yearly for various Web properties /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/02/social-media-and-accessibility-resources-to-know/ Fri, 02 Jan 2015 10:00:59 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/02/social-media-and-accessibility-resources-to-know/ When the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990, there was no Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Since then, the number of social media channels, and their use for communication among all demographics, has grown exponentially. Unfortunately, however, despite newer ways to reach individuals living with disabilities, many individuals in this community face challenges /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/31/countdown-to-2015-with-our-most-popular-articles-this-year/ Wed, 31 Dec 2014 14:45:22 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/31/countdown-to-2015-with-our-most-popular-articles-this-year/ As we round out 2014, we’re reflecting on the exciting year we’ve had at DigitalGov since we launched in February. Our mission is to share information and resources from agencies across the federal government that are working in the digital space, and highlight the services and communities that can help you meet your digital government /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/31/big-in-socialgov-in-2014-services-access-and-participation/ Wed, 31 Dec 2014 14:25:53 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/31/big-in-socialgov-in-2014-services-access-and-participation/ Social media for public service is a diverse field that uses platforms and data from both the private and public sectors to improve citizen services, make them easier to access and deliver them more cost effectively. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/31/the-best-e-gov-websites-in-the-world/ Wed, 31 Dec 2014 10:00:45 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/31/the-best-e-gov-websites-in-the-world/ In Design Secrets of the World’s Best e-Government Web Sites, the Asia-Pacific online communications powerhouse FutureGov singles out eight national e-government portals as the best-designed in the world, and identifies the best practices these sites exemplify. “Ultimately, these websites are the best in the world because they are designed to /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/30/opening-government-through-federal-crowdsourcing/ Tue, 30 Dec 2014 10:00:45 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/30/opening-government-through-federal-crowdsourcing/ Crowdsourcing is a critical corner of the digital government landscape, and our December theme articles have covered the topic from a variety of angles. Before we head into January, where we will discuss upcoming trends on the digital horizon, we sat down to learn more about the evolution and future direction of federal crowdsourcing initiatives /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/29/using-focus-groups-to-make-better-videos/ Mon, 29 Dec 2014 11:00:11 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/29/using-focus-groups-to-make-better-videos/ There’s what you expect your audience to think, and then there’s what your audience is actually thinking. Sometimes, these can be entirely different. But, you won’t know unless you test it. For the release of the 2014 Consumer Action Handbook (CAH), the Federal Citizen Information Center’s marketing team piloted a series of videos. The videos /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/22/large-scale-development-culture-change-google-and-the-u-s-government/ Mon, 22 Dec 2014 10:05:52 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/22/large-scale-development-culture-change-google-and-the-u-s-government/ As part of 18F’s mission to deliver effective, user-centric services focused on the interaction between government and the people and businesses it serves, we are also committed to demonstrating how open source and agile-inspired methodologies are critical to an effective, efficient, modern delivery process. We believe these methods produce better software and services at lower /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/19/making-prototypes-with-tools-you-already-have/ Fri, 19 Dec 2014 10:00:35 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/19/making-prototypes-with-tools-you-already-have/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/18/10-years-of-digital-government-a-retrospective/ Thu, 18 Dec 2014 03:09:04 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/18/10-years-of-digital-government-a-retrospective/ In December of 2004, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued the first Policies for Federal Public Websites. Over the past decade, we’ve seen technology completely transform how government delivers information and services to the public. On this 10-year anniversary, we’re taking a walk down memory lane to recap some of the pivotal moments /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/15/crowdsourced-digital-citizen-services-summit/ Mon, 15 Dec 2014 10:00:57 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/15/crowdsourced-digital-citizen-services-summit/ In May 2015, we are hosting the second DigitalGov Citizen Services Summit. This round we are looking to you—federal innovators across government—to help build the agenda. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/09/can-you-crowdsource-your-user-experience-research/ Tue, 09 Dec 2014 12:00:34 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/09/can-you-crowdsource-your-user-experience-research/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/11/26/usability-events-round-up-2014/ Wed, 26 Nov 2014 10:00:07 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/11/26/usability-events-round-up-2014/ This past year DigitalGov University has hosted at least one Usability event per month and we thought we’d give you a round-up of those events. After all, November 13th was World Usability Day. Since this year’s theme of World Usability Day is Engagement it would be great to take a look at the event recap /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/11/21/results-2014-federal-user-experience-survey/ Fri, 21 Nov 2014 10:00:29 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/11/21/results-2014-federal-user-experience-survey/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/11/18/trends-on-tuesday-speed-matters-when-measuring-responsive-web-design-performance-load-times/ Tue, 18 Nov 2014 10:00:48 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/11/18/trends-on-tuesday-speed-matters-when-measuring-responsive-web-design-performance-load-times/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/11/17/user-experience-impossible-the-line-between-accessibility-and-usability/ Mon, 17 Nov 2014 10:00:39 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/11/17/user-experience-impossible-the-line-between-accessibility-and-usability/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/11/14/institute-for-education-sciences-usability-case-study/ Fri, 14 Nov 2014 10:00:32 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/11/14/institute-for-education-sciences-usability-case-study/ After struggling with jargon-filled solicitations and a confusing website, some applicants were ready to give up on seeking grants from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Their complaints prompted a Plain Language makeover for the Institute’s funding materials. As the research arm of the U.S. Education Department, IES’s mission is to provide rigorous and relevant evidence /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/11/13/world-usability-day-engagement/ Thu, 13 Nov 2014 09:00:09 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/11/13/world-usability-day-engagement/ There are many buzzwords thrown around in the digital government universe, but the most impactful ideas are rooted in one action: engagement. Whether it is a tweet, a mobile app, or a community of practitioners, every digital program or service requires interaction between an organization and its customer. Engagement is also the foundation of all /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/11/10/4-tips-on-great-survey-design/ Mon, 10 Nov 2014 10:00:40 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/11/10/4-tips-on-great-survey-design/ Whether they pop up while perusing an e-commerce site or land in your inbox after your bumpy flight in from Chicago, surveys are used in many different industries to gauge customer satisfaction and glean insight into user motivations. They are a useful tool in the kit of a user experience designer or anyone /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/11/07/welcome-to-user-experience-month/ Fri, 07 Nov 2014 12:00:33 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/11/07/welcome-to-user-experience-month/ One challenge with digital government: it’s hard to see people. If you work at a U.S. Post Office, you interact with your customers, talk with them, and even see what they are feeling by looking at their faces. You can understand their experience fairly easily. In the digital world, technology decreases physical distance but increases /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/10/29/open-and-api-driven-federal-mobile-app-registration/ Wed, 29 Oct 2014 01:44:14 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/10/29/open-and-api-driven-federal-mobile-app-registration/ Thanks to the power of open data and APIs, federal agencies can now register their mobile native apps and websites on the Federal Mobile Products Registry and have them appear on the USA.gov Federal Mobile Apps Directory (formerly USA.gov Apps Gallery). /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/10/17/secrets-to-dynamite-public-sector-analytics-program/ Fri, 17 Oct 2014 10:00:37 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/10/17/secrets-to-dynamite-public-sector-analytics-program/ Uncovering meaningful analytics from months or years of Web metrics is daunting, at best. So how do you make great Web improvements using metrics? Whether you’re just getting started in Web analytics or you want to take your program to the next level, you should focus on /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/10/09/customer-service-week-2014/ Thu, 09 Oct 2014 10:00:53 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/10/09/customer-service-week-2014/ They say that customer experience (CX) is the new marketing. People will tell their friends about their experience with your agency, and social media makes it easy to broadcast whether the experience was easy and enjoyable, or terrible. In 1992, Congress proclaimed the first full week in /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/10/06/trends-on-tuesday-are-qr-codes-still-relevant/ Mon, 06 Oct 2014 16:55:55 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/10/06/trends-on-tuesday-are-qr-codes-still-relevant/ Recently, I was designing new outreach materials and needed a way to connect this offline collateral with my agency’s digital content. Using a QR (or Quick Response) code immediately came to mind, followed by the question, “Are QR codes still relevant?” Opinions differ on their utility and I couldn’t find any objective data on how /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/10/06/user-acceptance-testing-versus-usability-testing-whats-the-dif/ Mon, 06 Oct 2014 10:00:50 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/10/06/user-acceptance-testing-versus-usability-testing-whats-the-dif/ Building off the great discussion started around Customer Experience, we’re looking at the difference between User Acceptance Testing and Usability Testing. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/09/26/member-spotlight-hannah-rubin-library-of-congress/ Fri, 26 Sep 2014 10:00:17 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/09/26/member-spotlight-hannah-rubin-library-of-congress/ Meet Hannah Rubin, who works in the Congressional Research Service (CRS) at the Library of Congress. She’s the focus of this month’s Member Spotlight. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/09/12/digitalgov-gov-six-months-later/ Fri, 12 Sep 2014 12:00:02 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/09/12/digitalgov-gov-six-months-later/ Six months ago, we launched this DigitalGov.gov platform to support federal agencies in delivering 21st century digital services and information to the public. It seems a good time to share some of the thinking that went into the development of the platform, and what we’ve learned so far. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/09/08/finding-participants-for-user-experience-studies/ Mon, 08 Sep 2014 10:30:35 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/09/08/finding-participants-for-user-experience-studies/ How do you find participants for your usability studies? I spoke recently with the User Experience Community of Practice about how we recruit participants for usability and cognitive studies at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Hopefully I can give you some new ideas about recruiting volunteers to fuel your user research. At BLS, we /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/09/04/national-cancer-institute-launches-new-user-experience-lab/ Thu, 04 Sep 2014 10:00:47 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/09/04/national-cancer-institute-launches-new-user-experience-lab/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/29/system-usability-scale-improving-products-since-1986/ Fri, 29 Aug 2014 10:15:49 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/29/system-usability-scale-improving-products-since-1986/ 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, /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/22/api-usability-case-study-openfda/ Fri, 22 Aug 2014 09:32:53 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/22/api-usability-case-study-openfda/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/19/redesigning-with-customer-feedback-child-support-enforcement-usability-case-study/ Tue, 19 Aug 2014 01:00:49 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/19/redesigning-with-customer-feedback-child-support-enforcement-usability-case-study/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/18/how-to-choose-a-user-experience-technique/ Mon, 18 Aug 2014 10:00:17 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/18/how-to-choose-a-user-experience-technique/ The good news: Your boss is interested in User Experience! The news: She wants you to do something about it… NOW. Well, don’t be alarmed; you can start by figuring out two simple things. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/12/heat-mapping-case-study-epa-gov-homepage/ Tue, 12 Aug 2014 11:00:17 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/12/heat-mapping-case-study-epa-gov-homepage/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/08/design-sketching-the-easiest-prototype-method-ever/ Fri, 08 Aug 2014 10:00:19 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/08/design-sketching-the-easiest-prototype-method-ever/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/07/celebrate-the-americans-with-disabilities-act-and-section-508/ Thu, 07 Aug 2014 10:00:58 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/07/celebrate-the-americans-with-disabilities-act-and-section-508/ Happy anniversary, baby! Seventies pop songs aside, July 26, 2014, was the 24th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and on August 7 of this year, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended in 1998, will have its 16th anniversary. Sometimes these two laws are mistaken one for the other, /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/05/trends-on-tuesday-whats-your-mobile-appetite/ Tue, 05 Aug 2014 11:00:57 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/05/trends-on-tuesday-whats-your-mobile-appetite/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/30/customization-is-key-to-better-mobile-user-experience/ Wed, 30 Jul 2014 02:12:52 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/30/customization-is-key-to-better-mobile-user-experience/ Resources like Theresa Neil’s Mobile Design Product Gallery book and Mobile-patterns.com describe, and provide examples of, common features mobile developers can implement and tailored further to satisfy their users. As mentioned in this week’s Trends on Tuesday, customizing apps to meet /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/29/trends-on-tuesday-avoid-the-app-graveyard/ Tue, 29 Jul 2014 01:23:17 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/29/trends-on-tuesday-avoid-the-app-graveyard/ Apps that are downloaded, used a few times and then never used again, are considered part of the “app graveyard.” In fact, 95% of apps are discarded within a month of download by users. Focus on creating a great user experience to make sure your agency apps are used consistently. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/28/should-your-agency-be-offering-chat-service/ Mon, 28 Jul 2014 01:58:20 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/28/should-your-agency-be-offering-chat-service/ Live Web chat is an important component of good customer service. People like having the option of talking with an agent in real-time without having to pick up the phone. While live chat is not widespread, several agencies have shown great success in serving the public through this alternative channel. At a recent Government Contact /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/24/how-the-american-battle-monument-commission-developed-its-first-mobile-app/ Thu, 24 Jul 2014 10:06:53 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/24/how-the-american-battle-monument-commission-developed-its-first-mobile-app/ The job of the American Battle Monument Commission (AMBC) is to manage all overseas cemeteries and memorials from WWI and WWII. There are over 200,000 veterans who are buried or memorialized at these cemeteries. When ABMC began thinking about releasing a native /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/18/improving-content-increasing-participation-a-nara-usability-case-study/ Fri, 18 Jul 2014 10:00:49 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/18/improving-content-increasing-participation-a-nara-usability-case-study/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/07/user-experience-ux-vs-customer-experience-cx-whats-the-dif/ Mon, 07 Jul 2014 10:00:02 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/07/user-experience-ux-vs-customer-experience-cx-whats-the-dif/ “User Experience” and “Customer Experience.” They sound pretty similar, right? Well, here at the Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, we look at it like this: User Experience (UX) deals with people interacting with your product and the experience they receive from that interaction. UX is measured with metrics like: success rate, error rate, /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/02/using-top-tasks-to-be-top-notch-federal-reserve-board-usability-case-study/ Wed, 02 Jul 2014 13:51:51 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/02/using-top-tasks-to-be-top-notch-federal-reserve-board-usability-case-study/ In 2012, the Federal Reserve Board used the Top-task methodology to redesign our intranet, called Inside the Board, which had not been significantly updated since it was launched in 1995. After determining the top tasks the audience needs to accomplish on a website, you can run usability tests to gain knowledge and improve the site. The project /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/01/using-analytics-to-create-change-usa-gov-usability-case-study/ Tue, 01 Jul 2014 13:00:38 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/07/01/using-analytics-to-create-change-usa-gov-usability-case-study/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/30/508-accessible-videos-why-and-how-to-make-them/ Mon, 30 Jun 2014 10:00:51 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/30/508-accessible-videos-why-and-how-to-make-them/ Making Web content and video accessible to people with disabilities is the law. Ensuring a video is accessible requires planning. Taking steps from day one will save you time and money. To verify that a video is accessible you’d need to incorporate three elements: Captioning Audio descriptions An Accessible video player Why Accessibility Matters Many government /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/18/the-api-briefing-department-of-states-model-app-education-usa/ Wed, 18 Jun 2014 10:00:46 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/18/the-api-briefing-department-of-states-model-app-education-usa/ Not only does the Department of State have a great set of APIs, State also has an excellent example of how to build an informative and useful app. EducationUSA is a network of State Department advisers who help international students apply for U.S. university programs. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/11/talking-usability-with-kids-over-milk-and-cookies/ Wed, 11 Jun 2014 10:00:51 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/11/talking-usability-with-kids-over-milk-and-cookies/ The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently created a new Web page made especially for students, so who better to give it a test run than children attending “Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day”? We took advantage of this event held on April 24, 2014, at /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/10/digitalgov-irl-6-ways-to-get-it-right/ Tue, 10 Jun 2014 08:14:55 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/10/digitalgov-irl-6-ways-to-get-it-right/ This morning I was walking down 18th Street, crossing Pennsylvania Avenue by the World Bank when I heard what sounded like “a test from the /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/09/what-structured-content-can-do-for-you-webinar-recap/ Mon, 09 Jun 2014 10:00:42 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/09/what-structured-content-can-do-for-you-webinar-recap/ Structured content and open content models can help you create content that is platform-agnostic, format-free, and device-independent. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/09/facebook-increases-public-service-verification-to-improve-citizen-engagement-2/ Mon, 09 Jun 2014 02:32:35 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/09/facebook-increases-public-service-verification-to-improve-citizen-engagement-2/ Facebook is now the first social media platform to start verifying all federal government pages with their signature blue checkmark using the Federal Social Media Registry API. The Federal Social Media Registry provides the singular source that allows social media platforms to quickly collect real government accounts—emphasizing the critical need to ensure the trust, quality and /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/06/consumer-action-handbook-usability-case-study/ Fri, 06 Jun 2014 10:00:32 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/06/consumer-action-handbook-usability-case-study/ 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. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/05/overcoming-barriers-digitalgov-summit-recap/ Thu, 05 Jun 2014 14:09:15 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/05/overcoming-barriers-digitalgov-summit-recap/ As government innovators, we work to improve public services every day. In essence we are already in a public private partnership. But how can your agency capitalize on existing public private partnerships to engage citizens and enhance services? Four panelists from across government shared their public private partnerships success stories at the DigitalGov Citizen Services /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/05/the-importance-of-cross-channel-customer-service-digitalgov-summit-recap/ Thu, 05 Jun 2014 12:13:55 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/05/the-importance-of-cross-channel-customer-service-digitalgov-summit-recap/ During the DigitalGov Citizen Services Summit last Friday, customer service experts from across government came together on a panel to share what customer service means to them and their organization and specific ways they leverage it. The other panels were on performance analysis, public private partnerships, and inter-agency work. The panelists spoke about the strategies /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/03/harnessing-the-power-of-many-digitalgov-summit-panels-recap/ Tue, 03 Jun 2014 15:14:11 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/03/harnessing-the-power-of-many-digitalgov-summit-panels-recap/ At the DigitalGov Citizen Services Summit last Friday, Jacob Parcell, Manager, Mobile Programs at the General Services Administration led a panel on the challenges and benefits of Inter-Agency work. The other panels were on performance analysis, customer service across channels, and public private partnerships. “The challenges are real,” said Parcell, who quoted President Obama’s famous salmon /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/03/digitalgov-summit-panels-recap/ Tue, 03 Jun 2014 14:35:10 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/06/03/digitalgov-summit-panels-recap/ At the DigitalGov Citizen Services Summit last Friday, more than 200 innovators across government and industry came together to share how digital services can improve citizen services and reduce cost. Four panels convened to share information on performance analysis, customer service across channels, public private partnerships and inter-agency work. We have a recap of the /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/30/digitalgov-citizen-services-summit-a-success/ Fri, 30 May 2014 04:36:49 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/30/digitalgov-citizen-services-summit-a-success/ We had a GREAT DigitalGov Citizen Services Summit today. There were more than 200 digital innovators from across government and industry working to build the 21st century government the public expects. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/22/how-to-make-a-mobile-paper-prototype/ Thu, 22 May 2014 13:00:44 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/22/how-to-make-a-mobile-paper-prototype/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/21/ignite-with-us/ Wed, 21 May 2014 15:00:05 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/21/ignite-with-us/ Have a DigitalGov success?—published an API? Got buy-in from leadership? Changed a part of your customer-service paradigm? Developed a cool dashboard? Got the app out the door? Heck! Have you prototyped a wearable, drivable or flyable? Have a DigitalGov opinion?—think we should be focusing more or less on something? Have an idea on how to /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/21/the-road-to-better-websites-gets-easier-with-usability-walkthroughs/ Wed, 21 May 2014 10:00:45 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/21/the-road-to-better-websites-gets-easier-with-usability-walkthroughs/ The road to more user-friendly government websites does not have to be long and scary. In fact, there is a growing network of people and resources to guide you along the way. My office in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been fortunate enough to benefit from some of this support, most recently /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/20/packaging-up-api-usability-testing-for-agency-reuse/ Tue, 20 May 2014 01:00:12 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/20/packaging-up-api-usability-testing-for-agency-reuse/ Over the past year, a GSA collaboration has seen a project that offers API Usability Testing to federal agencies go from the pilot stage to a regular, robust series. Already, 13 agencies and programs have participated, and several more participate with every monthly session /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/19/sign-up-for-digitalgov-citizen-services-summit-friday-may-30/ Mon, 19 May 2014 03:03:16 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/19/sign-up-for-digitalgov-citizen-services-summit-friday-may-30/ We won’t build the government of the 21st century by drawing within the lines. We don’t have to tell you the hard work of building a digital government doesn’t exist in a vacuum or a bubble. Show us social media without mobile, Web without data and user experience without APIs. You can’t? That’s right—in reality, /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/13/what-is-a-terms-of-service-and-how-do-i-get-one/ Tue, 13 May 2014 10:00:33 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/13/what-is-a-terms-of-service-and-how-do-i-get-one/ Imagine this: You just found a great online tool that can help you do your federal job 100% better. You’re all ready to download it and start conquering the world when someone asks, “Have you checked the Terms of Service?” You’re not sure what they’re /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/12/citizen-engagement-at-nasa/ Mon, 12 May 2014 14:37:55 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/12/citizen-engagement-at-nasa/ Recently, the White House hosted Stakeholder Engagement Workshops—an informal meet-up for citizens and federal agencies to discuss progress on Open Government. The third version of our Open Gov Plan is due June 1st. My Open Innovation teammates and I took the opportunity to attend the event. We gained valuable insights from citizen activists on what /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/09/make-gov-apis-better-with-user-experience/ Fri, 09 May 2014 10:00:29 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/09/make-gov-apis-better-with-user-experience/ APIs and User Experience go together like gummi bears and ice cream. An API is a product just like a car, a website or a ballpoint pen. It’s designed to help someone do something. Products /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/07/because-its-hard/ Wed, 07 May 2014 10:00:35 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/07/because-its-hard/ Two years ago, federal agencies were set on a fast track to create a 21st century digital government. The Federal Digital Strategy served up a heaping set of deliverables on a tight timeline. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/05/government-open-and-structured-content-models-are-here/ Mon, 05 May 2014 14:17:39 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/05/government-open-and-structured-content-models-are-here/ Smartphones, tablets, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, not to mention your agency’s desktop website, are all clamoring for information, but sliced and diced in different ways. How can you make your content adaptive for efficient delivery to all of these mediums? Structured content and open content models can help you create content that /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/01/improving-contact-center-performance-with-contract-incentives-dos-and-donts/ Thu, 01 May 2014 13:20:39 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/01/improving-contact-center-performance-with-contract-incentives-dos-and-donts/ “In business, words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises, but only performance is reality.” Harold S. Geneen As government contact center managers, we dream of having contact center contractors who regularly exceed our performance expectations. One way to motivate your contractor to excel is by including financial incentives/disincentives directly into your contact center contract. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/30/need-help-responding-to-facebook-twitter-questions-use-your-contact-center-customer-service-experts/ Wed, 30 Apr 2014 10:00:49 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/30/need-help-responding-to-facebook-twitter-questions-use-your-contact-center-customer-service-experts/ Government agencies are always looking for better ways to connect with their audiences while making more effective use of existing (or shrinking) resources. To that end, many agencies—including ours, the National Cancer Institute—have begun to use social media platforms to help serve the communications mission. As these tools have become more widely used, NCI’s Contact /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/22/government-social-media-isnt-lagging-its-different-and-thats-good/ Tue, 22 Apr 2014 16:30:34 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/22/government-social-media-isnt-lagging-its-different-and-thats-good/ Social Media tools, trends and algorithms come and go, but federal managers continue to see improvements in their digital engagement initiatives when they put citizens at the center of their programs. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/22/trends-on-tuesday-how-contact-centers-are-adapting-to-the-mobile-user/ Tue, 22 Apr 2014 10:00:01 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/22/trends-on-tuesday-how-contact-centers-are-adapting-to-the-mobile-user/ While it does provide challenges, anytime, anywhere digital government provides numerous opportunities for contact centers to do business more effectively. According to this study by Compare Business Products, one of the most important impacts for contact centers is that smartphone users can now connect with contact centers via voice calls, SMS messages, Internet pages, social /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/21/usability-case-study-gsa-acquisition-portal/ Mon, 21 Apr 2014 10:00:24 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/21/usability-case-study-gsa-acquisition-portal/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/14/noaa-national-ocean-service-usability-case-study/ Mon, 14 Apr 2014 10:00:04 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/14/noaa-national-ocean-service-usability-case-study/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/09/usability-case-study-fda-consumer-graphics/ Wed, 09 Apr 2014 10:00:33 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/09/usability-case-study-fda-consumer-graphics/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/04/heatmapping-tools-show-whats-hot-on-your-pages/ Fri, 04 Apr 2014 10:00:37 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/04/heatmapping-tools-show-whats-hot-on-your-pages/ Most analytics tools can tell you how many times a link on your page is clicked on, but they can’t help you draw conclusions about a page with just a mere list of top links. A tool called a heatmap turns data into a data visualization, so you can more easily see how people are /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/02/kids-gov-usability-case-study/ Wed, 02 Apr 2014 10:00:02 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/02/kids-gov-usability-case-study/ Launched back in 2001, Kids.gov has the unenviable task of trying to keep pace with the rapidly changing online habits of youngsters. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/03/26/measuring-user-experience-a-few-tips/ Wed, 26 Mar 2014 10:00:24 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/03/26/measuring-user-experience-a-few-tips/ With a calculated process, the right tools, and a staff willing to make it work, you can measure user experience (UX) on your websites and implement usability changes that show results. In a recent DigitalGov University webinar entitled “Measuring User Experience”, UX supporters and practitioners heard from Achaia Walton, Senior Digital Analyst at the Department /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/03/18/data-gov-usability-case-study/ Tue, 18 Mar 2014 08:42:54 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/03/18/data-gov-usability-case-study/ 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, /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/03/18/trends-on-tuesday-mobile-download-speeds-on-the-rise/ Tue, 18 Mar 2014 01:35:57 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/03/18/trends-on-tuesday-mobile-download-speeds-on-the-rise/ Mobile devices are uploading data faster and mobile users are starting to expect better performance, according to Citrix. Fifty percent of web pages are taking 37.5% less time to load on a mobile device than they did just a year ago according the Citrix Mobile Analytics Report. This infographic from the study shows the percentage of users /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/02/28/what-do-people-think-of-your-content-ask-your-contact-center/ Fri, 28 Feb 2014 09:36:00 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/02/28/what-do-people-think-of-your-content-ask-your-contact-center/ All of us want to improve the content and information we provide to the public, but we’re intimidated by where to start: Does our website provide clear content? Is the best information hidden on pages a few layers down? What should we tweet about /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/02/27/ux-finding-inspiration-through-constraints/ Thu, 27 Feb 2014 10:11:23 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/02/27/ux-finding-inspiration-through-constraints/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/02/19/10-tips-for-better-hallway-usability-testing/ Wed, 19 Feb 2014 01:01:25 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/02/19/10-tips-for-better-hallway-usability-testing/ Hallway testing is a usability test set-up in a high foot traffic area, utilizing bystanders to test your product. Your participants will be people who happen to be walking down the hall and are able to afford 5-10 minutes of their day. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/02/06/noaas-national-ocean-service-goes-responsive/ Thu, 06 Feb 2014 10:20:36 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/02/06/noaas-national-ocean-service-goes-responsive/ Let’s ponder this for a moment: Maybe you live in South /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/02/04/trends-on-tuesday-optimizing-infographics-for-mobile/ Tue, 04 Feb 2014 10:33:06 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/02/04/trends-on-tuesday-optimizing-infographics-for-mobile/ Mobile first means more than just focusing on text content; it’s also includes considering visual content as important element of the user experience. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/02/03/what-happened-at-our-user-experience-summit-with-slides/ Mon, 03 Feb 2014 15:42:10 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/02/03/what-happened-at-our-user-experience-summit-with-slides/ We were hoping for 30, but we got more than 100 user experience professionals and novices on Jan 28, 2014, for our User Experience (UX) Summit at the General Services Administration. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/01/20/mobile-gov-user-experience-resources-and-design-tools/ Mon, 20 Jan 2014 02:50:23 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/01/20/mobile-gov-user-experience-resources-and-design-tools/ In September 2013, the Mobile Gov Community of Practice released user experience guidelines and recommendations for federal agencies to use in order to create good mobile user experiences. This article highlights private sector and government resources and tools to assist agencies in implementing those user experience guidelines. Mobile User Experience Resources and Tools From the /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/digitalgov-user-experience-resources/digitalgov-user-experience-program-usability-starter-kit/ Thu, 16 Jan 2014 11:28:18 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/digitalgov-user-experience-resources/digitalgov-user-experience-program-usability-starter-kit/ Here are some tools and templates to help you create better user experiences. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/digitalgov-user-experience-resources/digitalgov-user-experience-program-test-support/ Thu, 16 Jan 2014 11:25:23 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/digitalgov-user-experience-resources/digitalgov-user-experience-program-test-support/ It’s always best to test a product BEFORE you release it. So the best time to evaluate the usability of a product is as early as possible, including when you are creating wireframes and prototypes. But even if you’ve gone past that point /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/digitalgov-user-experience-resources/digitalgov-user-experience-program-speaking-opportunities/ Thu, 16 Jan 2014 11:12:13 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/digitalgov-user-experience-resources/digitalgov-user-experience-program-speaking-opportunities/ The DigitalGov User Experience Program presents to federal audiences by phone, webinar and in person. We cover a variety of topics, including: User Centered Design and Usability Best (and Worst) Practices on Government Websites How to Improve Federal Digital Services and more Potential audiences include: CIOs /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/digitalgov-user-experience-resources/digitalgov-user-experience-program-results-and-case-studies/ Thu, 16 Jan 2014 11:01:12 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/digitalgov-user-experience-resources/digitalgov-user-experience-program-results-and-case-studies/ Like any valid business decision, User Experience work should produce results and demonstrable impact. To see a list of screenshots from websites we’ve improved, visit the rest of our Usability Case Studies. Or see a more complete case study below. Case Study: Fueleconomy.gov Mobile Site In December of 2012 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/01/10/three-concepts-for-excellence-in-contact-centers/ Fri, 10 Jan 2014 06:08:16 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/01/10/three-concepts-for-excellence-in-contact-centers/ Using contact centers to deliver digital services is an emerging area in government. Due to the growth of online services, centers receive more attention and represent an important touch point for customers. When you need to speak directly with someone to get help or resolve an issue, it must be a good experience. This reflects on /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/01/09/top-eight-best-practices-for-federal-contact-centers/ Thu, 09 Jan 2014 05:24:49 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/01/09/top-eight-best-practices-for-federal-contact-centers/ 1. Meet all Laws, Requirements, Policies, and Directives for Federal Contact Centers Understand and follow all Privacy, Security, Disability, and Service Contract Act requirements. 2. Use Performance Metrics to Influence Business Rules and Drive Improvements Develop Key Performance Indicators/Metrics (see Performance Goals). CSLIC (Word document, 82 KB, 36 pages) could be used as a start. 3. Develop and Use a Comprehensive Quality Assurance Program Monitor quality. Use data to provide feedback to website/content team. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/12/31/trends-on-tuesday-federal-agency-mobile-gov-trends-in-2013/ Tue, 31 Dec 2013 13:31:03 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/12/31/trends-on-tuesday-federal-agency-mobile-gov-trends-in-2013/ Today we want to tell you about the federal agency trends we saw this year in the development of public facing mobile products. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/12/19/citizen-needs-come-first-for-uk-websites/ Thu, 19 Dec 2013 01:02:31 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/12/19/citizen-needs-come-first-for-uk-websites/ We have long believed that “governments learn best from other governments” and encourage far-ranging discussions with experts from other countries, as well as state and local governments. An example of this came to fruition when Michael Bracken, creator and director of the United Kingdom’s Government Digital Service, spoke to /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/mobile-user-experience-guidelines/ Wed, 11 Dec 2013 04:13:00 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/mobile-user-experience-guidelines/ These mobile user experience guidelines were distilled from community feedback about mobile UX practices. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/12/06/step-away-from-the-pdfs/ Fri, 06 Dec 2013 12:55:07 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/12/06/step-away-from-the-pdfs/ Every year, one of our office’s biggest projects is to prepare the Information Sharing Environment Annual Report to the Congress. This report examines the progress of Congress’s mandate in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to develop a better environment of terrorism-related information sharing. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/digitalgov-user-experience-resources/ Wed, 04 Dec 2013 04:26:11 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/digitalgov-user-experience-resources/ DigitalGov’s user experience resources provide tools for federal employees on how to make products and services more user-friendly, save money via user research, and create successful experiences. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/do-dont-table/ Wed, 04 Dec 2013 04:26:11 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/do-dont-table/ What to do and what not to do, that is the question /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/11/20/great-customer-experience-through-open-dialogue/ Wed, 20 Nov 2013 09:19:59 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/11/20/great-customer-experience-through-open-dialogue/ While we think about the audience, we don’t often map out the experience we want them to have when using our services. This is critical information for the design. In other cases, we may not have the data to analyze existing customers’ /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/11/18/creating-cross-channel-experiences/ Mon, 18 Nov 2013 10:40:09 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/11/18/creating-cross-channel-experiences/ One of the most important jobs for an organization is to think about the entire ecosystem of their brand and what the user experience is across each channel. Whether it is through accessing information on your site through various devices, calling a help line, engaging through social media, and/or having a face-to-face conversation, there may /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/11/12/5-tips-for-communicating-technical-information-ipad-pilot/ Tue, 12 Nov 2013 13:35:40 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/11/12/5-tips-for-communicating-technical-information-ipad-pilot/ “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.” — Mark Twain It’s simple—you’re the technical expert; you know the topic inside out, so of course you can easily explain it to a captive audience. Right? Not always. Communicators in every industry know that message /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/10/28/with-measurable-usability-goals-we-all-score/ Mon, 28 Oct 2013 02:07:47 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/10/28/with-measurable-usability-goals-we-all-score/ Setting measurable usability goals will help your team to assess the performance of your site throughout development. Whether your assessment is at the beginning of the process, throughout iterative wireframe testing, after release, or all of the above, /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/30/mobile-first/ Mon, 30 Sep 2013 11:44:17 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/30/mobile-first/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/26/plain-language-expert/ Thu, 26 Sep 2013 08:24:42 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/26/plain-language-expert/ A few days ago a coworker asked me to look at a paragraph. He said it was on the top customer service priorities in our division. So I scooted my chair over and looked at it. Then I looked at him and asked, “But what /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/24/trends-on-tuesday-pew-cell-phone-activities-report/ Tue, 24 Sep 2013 09:23:14 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/24/trends-on-tuesday-pew-cell-phone-activities-report/ Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project recently released their report on Cell Phone Activities for 2013. The report stated /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/23/mobile-gov-user-experience-guidelines-and-recommendations-content/ Mon, 23 Sep 2013 14:02:43 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/23/mobile-gov-user-experience-guidelines-and-recommendations-content/ Content refers to the various types of material in different formats, such as text, images and video, that provide information to the user (it also fits into a mobile product’s information architecture). /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/18/making-mobile-gov-user-experience-recommendations/ Wed, 18 Sep 2013 02:49:35 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/18/making-mobile-gov-user-experience-recommendations/ How We Did It Last November, as part of revisiting the state of Mobile Gov, government mobile innovators identified a need for guidelines to help create amazing and engaging mobile user experiences. We convened a group to workshop around elements of mobile user experience with the /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/17/usability-testers-unite-join-our-community/ Tue, 17 Sep 2013 08:53:11 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/17/usability-testers-unite-join-our-community/ I’m the kind of guy who loves tests. Not SATs, or BMI tests, but usability tests: connecting target customers with a government website and watching how they interact with it. Our DigitalGov User Experience Program (formerly known as First Fridays) has taught dozens of agencies how to conduct /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/13/studentaid-govs-1st-year-what-weve-learned-and-where-were-going/ Fri, 13 Sep 2013 18:39:05 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/13/studentaid-govs-1st-year-what-weve-learned-and-where-were-going/ Guest post by Brenda Wensil, Chief Customer Experience Officer for Federal Student Aid. Established in late 2010, FSA’s Customer Experience Office is responsible for identifying, measuring and reporting customer expectations and satisfaction with the financial aid services and products offered at Federal Student Aid. In my last post, /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/06/studentaid-gov-improving-the-college-financing-experience/ Fri, 06 Sep 2013 15:42:06 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/09/06/studentaid-gov-improving-the-college-financing-experience/ Guest post by Brenda Wensil, Chief Customer Experience Officer for Federal Student Aid (FSA). Established in late 2010, FSA’s Customer Experience Office is responsible for identifying, measuring and reporting customer expectations and satisfaction with the financial aid services and products offered at Federal Student Aid. The launch of StudentAid.gov in July 2012, /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/08/30/usability-and-accessibility-looking-at-user-experience-through-two-lenses/ Fri, 30 Aug 2013 08:31:17 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/08/30/usability-and-accessibility-looking-at-user-experience-through-two-lenses/ Usability and accessibility are slightly different lenses to assess user experience. It is possible to be strong in one area and weak in the other. Using either approach alone could result in an inaccurate view of your site’s user experience. Evaluating your website with both usability and accessibility in mind gives all users the best /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/08/22/mobile-product-testing-guidelines/ Thu, 22 Aug 2013 13:45:01 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/08/22/mobile-product-testing-guidelines/ You have started developing your mobile product, but you may be wondering what and how to test. As with any form of software development, mobile testing should be done intermittently throughout all development stages. This article was developed as part of the Mobile Application Development Program to provide agencies with some general testing strategies, types, /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/07/31/mobile-product-accessibility-testing-resources/ Wed, 31 Jul 2013 10:34:45 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/07/31/mobile-product-accessibility-testing-resources/ Accessibility testing is a subset of usability testing and is the inclusive practice of making websites and mobile applications usable by people of all abilities and disabilities. You do this by testing mobile websites and/or applications on all leading browsers, mobile devices and screen readers. This article was developed as part of the Mobile Application /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/07/30/improving-the-user-experience-with-the-usability-gov-reboot/ Tue, 30 Jul 2013 09:03:17 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/07/30/improving-the-user-experience-with-the-usability-gov-reboot/ Plan and analyze. Write and design. Test and refine. As Web Manager for Usability.gov, I have found that taking a user-centered approach is vital each time you improve or build a digital product, especially when the content is about improving user /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/07/25/understanding-your-customer/ Thu, 25 Jul 2013 10:14:06 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/07/25/understanding-your-customer/ Do you know who your customers are? And what they expect from your organization? One of the most critical components of a successful customer experience program is to understand your customer. The first step is knowing who your customers are. Are they veterans, students, senior citizens or other federal workers? In some cases your customers /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/07/02/business-usa-gov-usability-case-study/ Tue, 02 Jul 2013 11:14:32 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/07/02/business-usa-gov-usability-case-study/ When redesigning a site, it’s easy to place menu items, text and other content wherever you can make them fit. It’s harder to take a step back and ask the strategic question: Is this the best place for this? A good rule of thumb is to never make any changes randomly—base your decisions on user /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/07/02/fueleconomy-gov-usability-case-study/ Tue, 02 Jul 2013 11:08:48 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/07/02/fueleconomy-gov-usability-case-study/ Many technical websites have a hard time explaining information to the general public. This happens because users don’t understand the industry-specific or scientific terms. Fortunately, solutions to these problems are fairly easy—changing menu and navigation item text, or adding a line of explanatory text on key pages or complex graphics. The DigitalGov User Experience Program /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/06/28/6-way-to-improve-web-user-experience/ Fri, 28 Jun 2013 08:47:13 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/06/28/6-way-to-improve-web-user-experience/ If you want a better user experience on your government website, there’s a simple secret: early planning. Good designers know that it’s much more difficult to make changes to something after it’s built than before. This is true for /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/06/19/army-mil-usability-case-study/ Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:11:35 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/06/19/army-mil-usability-case-study/ If you want to make a website more efficient and user friendly, then it’s not enough just to have your most valuable information on the site. People are busy—they want to find what they’re looking for, and they want it fast. You don’t always need to redesign an entire site to make things easier to /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/06/19/5-steps-for-delivering-a-better-customer-experience/ Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:50:08 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/06/19/5-steps-for-delivering-a-better-customer-experience/ Everyone wants to know how to provide outstanding customer experience in government. It can be difficult, because everyday our customers are also doing business with companies like Starbucks, Zappos, and Virgin America, that excel in customer service. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/06/18/cdcs-solve-the-outbreak-app-2/ Tue, 18 Jun 2013 01:33:34 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/06/18/cdcs-solve-the-outbreak-app-2/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/06/17/tips-for-creating-great-digital-content-for-kids/ Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:24:36 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/06/17/tips-for-creating-great-digital-content-for-kids/ Great websites for kids have many of the same features as websites for adults, but some key differences are worth noting when writing digital content for kids or teens. Kids have short attention spans, so it’s important to keep your site engaging, fun, /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/06/11/responsive-design/ Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:08:25 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/06/11/responsive-design/ Responsive Web design refers to a fluidly constructed Web page layout that scales from handheld device displays to large, high-resolution computer displays using flexible typography, flexible images, fluid grids, and CSS3 media queries. For years, most Web teams designed for the desktop. Branding, navigation, work flows – the overall look & feel of online applications /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/06/05/mary-meekers-internet-trends-report/ Wed, 05 Jun 2013 08:49:57 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/06/05/mary-meekers-internet-trends-report/ Techcrunch. com reports Mary Meeker’s much anticipated annual Internet Trends report released at the D11 Conference last week shows astounding growth regarding use of smartphones and tablets. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/06/04/what-were-really-talking-about-when-were-talking-about-mobile-hint-its-the-user/ Tue, 04 Jun 2013 11:01:31 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/06/04/what-were-really-talking-about-when-were-talking-about-mobile-hint-its-the-user/ It used to be when we said mobile we meant activities and devices defined strictly by mobility and the features associated with it, such as GPS, SMS, barcode readers, cell phones, etc. But when I found myself in my easy chair watching a ballgame on my /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/05/29/government-websites-and-keyword-search-strategy/ Wed, 29 May 2013 01:22:50 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/05/29/government-websites-and-keyword-search-strategy/ Having a keyword search strategy is critical for government agencies to: Gain awareness, Secure a strong online presence and Help the public obtain the information they need. Since the public relies heavily on Government-related information for research, and a myriad of other tasks, each government /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/05/25/functionality-and-usability-testing-resources/ Sat, 25 May 2013 16:28:41 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/05/25/functionality-and-usability-testing-resources/ Functionality testing verifies that the functions of a product or service is working as intended. Each function is tested by providing appropriate input, verifying the output and comparing the actual results with the expected results. Usability testing measures the ease of use and intuitiveness of a product or service by asking users to perform a /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/05/02/internet-time-travel/ Thu, 02 May 2013 13:40:29 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/05/02/internet-time-travel/ The first public page on the world wide web went live twenty years ago on April 30, 1993. Take a look because this is the page that explains all things www at the time. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/04/29/atf-gov-usability-case-study/ Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:21:56 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/04/29/atf-gov-usability-case-study/ The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has some really valuable information for the public that a lot of people search for on ATF.gov. It’s important that the information is easily and quickly accessible. Government agencies reach a wide audience with their information, so making sure everyone can understand your content is important. The DigitalGov User /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/04/26/how-to-do-usability-testing-with-kids/ Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:02:56 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/04/26/how-to-do-usability-testing-with-kids/ What do kids know about Web design? As we found out, quite a lot. Recently our DigitalGov User Experience Program teamed up with the Kids.gov team to get some big time feedback from some pint-sized testers. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/03/22/regulations-gov-usability-case-study/ Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:29:33 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/03/22/regulations-gov-usability-case-study/ More and more people use search as their primary means of finding what they are looking for. When users get confused by the search results, or can’t immediately find what they are looking for, they’re going to get frustrated. They may even leave the site for good. The DigitalGov User Experience Program helped test Regulations.gov on October 5, 2012, to /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/03/21/saferbus-mobile-usability-case-study/ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:51:29 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/03/21/saferbus-mobile-usability-case-study/ When designing a site, remember that your terms and icons are like signposts that show people where your links and pages lead. Make sure that you use words and pictures that are easily understood or people will have trouble using your site. Small changes like underlining links or adding arrows to indicate expandable information can /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/02/19/contractor-vehicle-navigator-usability-case-study/ Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:39:15 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/02/19/contractor-vehicle-navigator-usability-case-study/ When users interact with a website to find information, it is important that we help them find their way by using plain language, clear terminology and visible help text. On December 7, 2012, the DigitalGov User Experience Program helped test the U.S. General Services Administration’s Contract Vehicle Navigator website. This Navigator site helps contracting officers find /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/02/11/youll-have-them-at-swipe-making-an-awesome-mobile-user-experience-webinar/ Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:02:07 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/02/11/youll-have-them-at-swipe-making-an-awesome-mobile-user-experience-webinar/ Learn how to create amazing and engaging Mobile Gov User Experiences by watching this webinar. Anytime, anywhere government will be used in numerous contexts and requires developers to think about more than just content, security and privacy during implementation. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/01/23/commerce-departmental-library-usability-case-study/ Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:37:08 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/01/23/commerce-departmental-library-usability-case-study/ A website with too much information on the homepage, or any page, will overwhelm users in less than a second. They will be unable to find a starting point to accomplish what they came there to do. If users are not able to locate the information they need and/or are unable to get past the /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/12/17/sam-gov-usability-test-study/ Mon, 17 Dec 2012 12:04:42 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/12/17/sam-gov-usability-test-study/ One of the most vital parts of any website is its starting point. When a visitor arrives on the main page of your site, they should be able to quickly tell what the main tasks are and how to perform them. Visual cues and plain language are the best ways to accomplish this. The SAM.gov /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/12/14/irs-usability-case-study/ Fri, 14 Dec 2012 16:05:59 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/12/14/irs-usability-case-study/ Acronyms and jargon are fine when you want to communicate quickly to an internal audiences or to like-minded readers. Once the scope of your audience widens, however, these elements can make your pages harder to understand. The IRS recognized that its pages about tax planning for retirement were reaching an audience beyond tax professionals, and /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/12/06/weather-gov-usability-case-study/ Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:43:22 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/12/06/weather-gov-usability-case-study/ After conducting a usability test and listening to customer feedback, the Weather.gov team and the DigitalGov User Experience Program identified these three issues as both important and quickly solvable. Problem 1: Terminology and Labels Confusing The terminology and labels used were either too technical or too abstract for users to understand—a far cry from the plain /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/11/05/nsf-gov-usability-case-study/ Mon, 05 Nov 2012 11:57:16 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/11/05/nsf-gov-usability-case-study/ Many government websites are informational in nature – you don’t sign up for things or buy anything. Instead, you look for something – a name, a ruling, some contact information. Informational sites – and scientific sites in particular – can be a challenge to design. With so much information, how do you make the important /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/10/19/feds-shed-light-on-dark-social/ Fri, 19 Oct 2012 02:05:46 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/10/19/feds-shed-light-on-dark-social/ “Dark Social” media took the web by storm this week, unveiling to many the shadows in measuring your social media impact. This accounts for the majority of your traffic and yet lives untraced where standard metrics fear to tread (or simply cannot) — places like email and instant /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/10/15/gsa-intranet-insite-usability-case-study/ Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:21:03 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/10/15/gsa-intranet-insite-usability-case-study/ Not all usability changes are dramatic. Sometimes a few small tweaks can make a site significantly easier to navigate, or make important but hidden content pop off the page. The DigitalGov User Experience Program helped test Insite, GSA’s intranet, on September 21, 2011. GSA took the feedback from their usability test and made some changes to the /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/10/15/gsa-fedramp-usability-case-study/ Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:16:23 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/10/15/gsa-fedramp-usability-case-study/ Websites allow newer government programs to establish a visual identity that introduces them to users and conveys the importance of their work. On April 18, 2012, the DigitalGov User Experience Program helped test GSA’s Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) site, which at that point was less than six months old. Three immediate needs were /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/10/15/office-of-natural-resources-revenue-usability-case-study/ Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:01:22 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/10/15/office-of-natural-resources-revenue-usability-case-study/ After watching a DigitalGov User Experience Program testing session, ONRR stakeholders and the testing team identified three major issues that could be quickly fixed to make the site more usable for its audience. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/08/06/how-kids-search/ Mon, 06 Aug 2012 11:11:43 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/08/06/how-kids-search/ Kids and adults use Web search tools differently. Kids fail more often, because they often don’t have enough knowledge or experience to search using the right keywords, or understand search results. If you’re designing websites for kids, remember that they use search tools differently than adults. Kids prefer surfing over searching. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/07/11/aids-gov-responsive-design/ Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:41:20 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/07/11/aids-gov-responsive-design/ 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 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/05/07/find-free-video-stock-footage/ Mon, 07 May 2012 10:50:12 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2012/05/07/find-free-video-stock-footage/ If you’re creating video, stock footage can be your best friend. If you need shots of people walking around, a photo of Chicago, the sound of footsteps or a Latin soundtrack, someone else has already probably already created it and made it available for free!