Is Your Federal Mobile App or Website in the U.S. Digital Registry?

We have received an amazing response to the U.S. Digital Registry, our new API-generating repository for official third-party sites, social media platforms and mobile apps in the United States federal government.

Federal digital managers have already added over 7,300 accounts and are continuously adding and updating social media and mobile app accounts in the registry. Outside of government, private and public sector organizations have been submitting feedback and offering praise. The Programmable Web said the registry is “the single most important social media initiative across the U.S. federal government in the past four years” and highlighted five potential use cases.

The U.S. Digital Registry offers an opportunity for federal agencies to show they are leveraging cutting-edge mobile technologies to engage their audiences anytime, anywhere. Agencies can register their mobile products—mobile websites (including responsive design) and native apps to verify they’re mobile-friendly authoritative sources of government information.

Mobile registrations feed an API and can be leveraged by developers for a number of scenarios. Currently USA.gov leverages the API for both the Mobile Apps Directory and the Directorio Federal de Aplicaciones (Apps) Móviles that highlight agency mobile products in English and Spanish. Agencies could build their own widgets highlighting their agency’s mobile products and social media accounts by that or topic.

Developing for a mobile technology is not a fad; it’s a must. Currently, 68% of the U.S. population owns a smartphone and as that number continues to rise, they will increasingly access and expect services to work well on these devices. Federal websites are currently accessed on tablets and smartphones approximately 30% of the time, according to the Digital Analytics Dashboard. Agencies must find and engage customers at their mobile moments and the registry is just the place to verify they are doing it.

With the Registry, agencies are well on their way to providing a new generation of services that:

• Delivers authenticated information to users across platforms, languages and topics
• Supports cyber-security by deterring fake accounts that spread misinformation and steal personal data
• Improves performance reporting, data analysis and accessibility of public services

A mobile registration in the U.S. Digital Registry demonstrates an agency’s commitment to serving their customers’ needs anytime, anywhere and on any device. Currently, there are only 323 mobile registrations. We know there a number of agencies with lost native apps and mobile websites (including responsive) that need to be added.

Register your mobile products on the U.S. Digital Registry now and help us spread the word!