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Guidance on building better digital services in government
Understand how digital services impact trust in government.
Trust has to be earned every time. Federal websites and digital services can’t assume it. The guidance, resources, and community you find here will help to create government websites that inspire trust in federal digital resources.
Trusted digital services meet customer expectations, and they are easy to find, understand, and use. Understand how digital services impact trust in government.
Delivering a digital-first public experience is a significant opportunity to improve the lives of millions by making it easier to access the information and services they use and count on each and every day.
A list of key considerations and practical actions you can take to earn trust with users.
Host your site on a .gov or .mil domain to assure users it’s an official government site.
Trust is built up with good experiences, and broken with bad ones. Build sites that build trust by considering user needs, respecting people’s time, and avoiding customer experience pitfalls.
Over the past decade, the U.S. Digital Service (USDS) has collaborated with more than 30 federal agencies to create user-friendly, reliable, and seamless digital experiences. Their work prioritizing human-centered design and engineering includes improving services for veterans with Veterans Affairs, launching the Internal Revenue Service Direct File Pilot, and supporting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking ahead, USDS remains committed to building trust, fostering innovation, and scaling digital capacity across the federal government, ensuring better service for all Americans.— via The White House
More Veterans are turning to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for healthcare and benefits, accessing these services online through tools like the VA Health and Benefits mobile app and VA.gov. With over 2.28 million app downloads and 17.8 million monthly visitors on VA.gov, these digital tools provide faster, easier, and more inclusive access to VA services. Learn more about how these technologies are often Veterans’ first interaction with VA by watching their latest video, Digital Front Door: Expanding Access to VA.— via U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
At the Department of Justice, Access DOJ and the Office of the Pardon Attorney (PARDON) partnered to simplify and streamline the presidential pardon application process. By conducting usability testing and gathering feedback, they identified key issues with the existing application, such as its complexity and length. See how redesigning the forms to be more accessible and understandable led to a more efficient process for both applicants and staff.— via Department of Justice
Launched last fall, the General Services Administration equity study on remote identity proofing aims to determine if biases exist in the algorithms used for online identity verification. The study has now reached its goal of recruiting 4,000 participants from diverse communities, and experts are ready to begin analysis of the data. Learn how the team at GSA plans to conduct this data analysis, and how their findings will lead to improved equitable services delivery in technology across the government.— via General Services Administration
Every day, live agents at USA.gov’s Public Experience (PX) Contact Center answer questions from the public about government benefits and services. Learn how the PX Contact Center develops a workforce of excellent agents, using immersive onboarding, tailored and continuous training, feedback loops, and calibration meetings to empower their agents to deliver accurate information. USA.gov’s system for employee and contact center management ensures that every customer interaction leaves a lasting impact.— via USA.gov
Introductory guidance on implementing privacy protections for users of federal websites.
Guidance on how to build government websites that people can trust.
This case study describes how two civic designers at different agencies embed equity in civic design to transform federal customer experience.
A more simple, seamless, and secure customer experience for the American public.
A .gov domain instantly conveys credibility and trustworthiness, and proper domain management practices ensure that your website is secure and accessible.
Learn how to implement 21st Century IDEA to design and deliver better websites and digital services.
21 posts
Over the past decade, the U.S. Digital Service (USDS) has collaborated with more than 30 federal agencies to create user-friendly, reliable, and seamless digital experiences. Their work prioritizing human-centered design and engineering includes improving services for veterans with Veterans Affairs, launching the Internal Revenue Service Direct File Pilot, and supporting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking ahead, USDS remains committed to building trust, fostering innovation, and scaling digital capacity across the federal government, ensuring better service for all Americans.— via The White House
More Veterans are turning to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for healthcare and benefits, accessing these services online through tools like the VA Health and Benefits mobile app and VA.gov. With over 2.28 million app downloads and 17.8 million monthly visitors on VA.gov, these digital tools provide faster, easier, and more inclusive access to VA services. Learn more about how these technologies are often Veterans’ first interaction with VA by watching their latest video, Digital Front Door: Expanding Access to VA.— via U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
At the Department of Justice, Access DOJ and the Office of the Pardon Attorney (PARDON) partnered to simplify and streamline the presidential pardon application process. By conducting usability testing and gathering feedback, they identified key issues with the existing application, such as its complexity and length. See how redesigning the forms to be more accessible and understandable led to a more efficient process for both applicants and staff.— via Department of Justice
Launched last fall, the General Services Administration equity study on remote identity proofing aims to determine if biases exist in the algorithms used for online identity verification. The study has now reached its goal of recruiting 4,000 participants from diverse communities, and experts are ready to begin analysis of the data. Learn how the team at GSA plans to conduct this data analysis, and how their findings will lead to improved equitable services delivery in technology across the government.— via General Services Administration
Every day, live agents at USA.gov’s Public Experience (PX) Contact Center answer questions from the public about government benefits and services. Learn how the PX Contact Center develops a workforce of excellent agents, using immersive onboarding, tailored and continuous training, feedback loops, and calibration meetings to empower their agents to deliver accurate information. USA.gov’s system for employee and contact center management ensures that every customer interaction leaves a lasting impact.— via USA.gov
Performance.gov invites you to participate in their #GovPossible campaign to celebrate Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW)! Recognize the invaluable efforts of government employees who ensure that the everyday needs of Americans are met. Access a range of tools and resources to help you join the #GovPossible campaign and show your support. The #GovPossible toolkit makes it easy for you to participate in this important (and fun!) campaign.— via Performance.gov
We’re celebrating all the ways we continue to realize our founding vision: bringing technologists into government, launching shared digital services, and helping partner agencies build user-centered technology.— via 18F
OMB 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).— via The White House
Trust is earned through consistency and commitment. Build sites that build trust by considering user needs, respecting people’s time, and avoiding customer experience pitfalls.
Executive Order 14058, released today, reinforces the second priority of the President’s Management Agenda—centered around improving customer services through technology—and demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to reducing customer burden, addressing inequities, and streamlining processes.— via The White House
This week, we’d like to talk about trust, and the elements that go into building trust with people who are using our services.
A look at how FEMA responds to user needs and bugs in their app development.
The Pew Internet and the American Life Project released a report recently that analyzed the use of digital tools for different groups of tech literacies.
Connect.Gov is a service that helps reduce agency investment and enables a secure, trusted, and inter-operable method for digital interactions between people and government.
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
Digital.gov
An official website of the U.S. General Services Administration
