News and Updates
Innovative work, news, and ideas from people and teams in government
Celebrating Hispanic (and Latinx) Heritage Month at TTS: An Intersection of Identity and Public Service
Cybersecurity Awareness Month
This year, the Federal Cyber Workforce Management and Coordinating Working Group, in partnership with OPM, is hosting an interagency contest to promote and expand awareness of the Cyber Professionals Community on Open Opportunities. This community serves as a central hub to post and participate in cyber career development opportunities. Download their Toolkit (1.29 MB, 21 pages) to learn more about the interagency contest that runs October 3rd to December 2nd. — via Open Opportunities
Taking a Design-led Approach to Digital Modernization
Your Federal Front Door: USA.gov and USAGov en Español are Focused on the Public
The Biden-Harris Administration’s President’s Management Agenda Vision (PMA) lays the foundation for an effective, equitable, and accountable government that delivers results for all Americans through three main priority areas. Periodically Performance.gov shares stories that highlight real world examples of one of the three PMA priorities. Follow along as they discuss the current approach of the USAGov team and what’s on the horizon for the USAGov website. — via Performance.gov
Closing the Disability Divide
Over 67 million people in the United States have a disability, constituting the largest diversity group in the country. Despite decades of advocacy and struggle, people with disabilities continue to experience significant gaps in health and well-being, educational attainment, employment, and wealth compared to people without disabilities. These gaps have been termed the “disability divide.” The purpose of this year’s National Disability Employment Awareness campaign at the National Institutes of Health is to educate staff regarding the divide and to celebrate those who help close the disability divide by advocating for people with disabilities. — via National Institutes of Health
National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)
Observed annually in October, NDEAM celebrates the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities past and present and showcases supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices. In recognition of the important role people with disabilities play in a diverse and inclusive American workforce, the theme for NDEAM 2022, Disability: Part of the Equity Equation. — via Department of Labor
Join USAGov en Español for Our Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Twitter Chat
For the last few years during Hispanic Heritage Month, USAGov en Español has partnered with federal agencies in a Twitter chat to let people know about official government information and services in Spanish. If you’re part of a government agency, we invite you to take part in this year’s chat on October 6, 2022 at 1 PM ET. — via USA.gov
Improve Your Website With User Testing
CXDay
CXDay—Help us celebrate and champion customer experience (CX) in government. Join Performance.gov and agencies across government for #CXDay on Tuesday, October 4th. — via Performance.gov
DHS Usability Testing Kit — So Easy, Anyone Can Do It
USWDS Monthly Call - September 2022
Webinar Recap: How to Measure Effectiveness of Your Digital Outreach and Communications
Making Infrastructure Less Invisible
Over the last year, there has been a constant stream of activity at the .gov registry, but most of it hasn’t been on display. This post highlights some of the work to make .gov the most boringly secure, conventionally unconventional domain for governments. — via DotGov Registry
Creating a Culture of Innovation at Your Agency
When we talk about innovation in government tech, what do we mean? During a recent project, 18F partnered with a government innovation lab to help them understand the impact innovation can have at their organization. — via 18F
Serving the Public: Five Veterans' Journeys to Public Interest Tech
The 18F Engineering Sandwich for Cloud-based Web Apps
The 18F Engineering Sandwich for Cloud-based Web Apps—18F Engineering is often thought of as a technology shop, but that’s too broad. There are very few technology choices we actually make at the project level, so, more often than not, we combine a limited set of technologies to make our applications. To explain this, we’ll use the metaphor of a sandwich shop. — via 18F
Helping People Discover Benefits With the New BEARS Locator
Helping People Discover Benefits With the New BEARS Locator—Back in March, we shared about the work we were doing to develop BEARS, the Benefits Eligibility Awareness Resource Service. USAGov’s new online locator tool, available in English on USA.gov and in Spanish on USAGov en Español, helps people find government benefits and services geared to major life events. It officially launched in early August, and we wanted to give you an update. — via USA.gov
Senior Executives Part 5: Use Stories as Leading Indicators
Senior Executives Part 5: Use Stories as Leading Indicators—Executives often rely on productivity metrics to measure success, but these measures can obscure whether the software is actually working for users. Stories are a better resource to build a strategy between a senior executive and a product team. This is part five in a series on how senior executive and tech teams can be better allies. — via 18F