The U.S. Web Design System team will answer community questions and give an update on their work developing web components for the design system.
2024
How to implement 21st Century IDEA
Requirements for delivering a digital-first public experience —Learn how to implement 21st Century IDEA to design and deliver better websites and digital services.
Understanding the Digital Analytics Program —The Digital Analytics Program (DAP) offers advanced, easy web analytics for federal agencies.
An introduction to domain management —A .gov domain instantly conveys credibility and trustworthiness, and proper domain management practices ensure that your website is secure …
An introduction to search —Learn why search functionality is an important component of federal websites, and discover how to add a search function to your website.
An introduction to digital governance —Learn why governance is essential to digital experience.
Digital.gov Communities of Practice
Collaborate and share resources with other communities across government who are focused on building better digital experience in government.
Communicators
2,491 Members
Improve written and verbal communication to make government more effective.
Contact Center
373 Members
Explore methods of service delivery that improve customer experience in government contact centers.
Multilingual
739 Members
Expand and improve digital content in languages other than English.
Plain Language
2,366 Members
Promote the use of plain language to provide better service to the public.
Social Media
1,507 Members
Improve social media outreach and performance.
User Experience
2,277 Members
Create better user-centered products for the public.
Web Analytics
1,045 Members
Make better decisions using web analytics and other optimization strategies.
Web Managers
2,160 Members
Create a better online experience for the public alongside government web content managers.
News and Events
Innovative work, news, and ideas from people and teams in government
Department of Labor, General Services Administration to centralize government benefits information on USA.gov and USAGov en Español
In September 2024, Benefits.gov will be discontinued, with its services and information moved to USA.gov and USAGov en Español. This change, which aligns with Executive Order 14058: Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government, aims to create a seamless, user-friendly experience for accessing government benefits in both English and Spanish. The new platform, with a focus on equitable access to information, will feature improved navigation and benefit-finding tools.— via General Services Administration
IT warning banners: How GSA is working to stop unnecessarily frightening users
OMB Memo M-23-22 discourages the use of pop-ups and modals. GSA IT updated security policies so that IT warning banners are presented less intrusively to users.
Supporting innovation through the American Rescue Plan
GSA uses American Rescue Plan funding for over 40 initiatives to foster community, improve user experiences, and empower underserved populations.
Reassessing priorities: Adapting to additional work without additional resources
The Office of Natural Resources Revenue’s Open Data, Design, and Development (ODD) team is taking on management of a fourth website, despite being short-staffed. As a result, they have revisited and reprioritized their yearly goals. To do so, they utilized a prioritization matrix, developed a structured impact assessment, and laid out a transition plan. Their process ensured realistic workload adjustments, improved team morale, and highlighted the importance of practical goal-setting, especially when teams are short-staffed.— via Office of Natural Resources Revenue
Designing for people with disabilities
The User Experience (UX) team at USA.gov’s Public Experience Portfolio recently conducted a study to analyze the experiences of individuals who access USA.gov through assistive technology. The team partnered with a local organization to gather insights from a diverse group of participants, many of whom are blind or deaf. The study revealed various habits and challenges faced by these users, such as a preference for mobile sites, difficulty with website carousels, and a reliance on clear headings and action-oriented descriptions. These findings can guide improvements in accessibility, such as clever link labeling and better navigation aids for assistive technology users.— via USA.gov
18F’s engineering craft practices at 10
18F recently celebrated its 10th anniversary by renewing its commitment to refining and sharing best practices through regular publications, tech talks, and updates to the 18F Engineering Guide. They also created a permanent principal consulting engineer role to enhance digital service delivery and support skill development within the organization.— via 18F
18F’s engineering craft practices at 10
18F recently celebrated its 10th anniversary by renewing its commitment to refining and sharing best practices through regular publications, tech talks, and updates to The 18F Engineering Guide. They also instructed a permanent principal consulting engineer role to enhance digital service delivery and support skill development within the organization.— via 18F
A small team’s 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.
Evaluating your agency’s accessibility just got a whole lot easier with GSA’s 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.
