Taking a Design-led Approach to Digital Modernization
Learn how GSA uses collaboration, empathy, and existing expertise to modernize their digital portfolio and improve customer experience.
News and Updates
Innovative work, news, and ideas from people and teams in government
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
WEB CONTENT and USER EXPERIENCE
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.
2022
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
User Experience
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.
2022
USWDS LANGUAGE SELECTION PATTERNS
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.
2022
Webinar Recap: How to Measure Effectiveness of Your Digital Outreach and Communications
Panelists shared their experiences, lessons learned, and best practices for what works in federal government agencies that have robust programs reaching a diverse American public.
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
U.S. Digital Corps Fellows share their public service journeys from military service 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
Plain Language
2022 Federal Plain Language Summit
Join the best and brightest plain language practitioners from across the federal government.
2022
GSA Celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) Program
GSA Celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) Program—Since 2012, over 200 Presidential Innovation Fellows have supported initiatives at more than 50 agencies, providing expert advice in specialized disciplines such as artificial intelligence, data strategy, product management, human-centered design, software development, and digital strategy. These efforts have enhanced agencies’ abilities to provide the best customer experience for their stakeholders and the public. The PIF program plans to celebrate the anniversary over the next year with activities to highlight the program’s impact and community since it launched.— via General Services Administration
Measuring and Justifying the Government Experience
Measuring and Justifying the Government Experience—Private sector organizations use revenue as the primary measurement to justify improving experiences. Many government services don’t have revenue as a lever, so how can we justify work to improve experience? The Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) leveraged a few metrics on their team that fall into three categories: laws and regulations, improving the experience for users, and saving time for employees.— via Office of Natural Resources Revenue
Senior Executives Part 4: Initiate More Direct Interaction To Build Rapport
Senior Executives Part 4: Initiate More Direct Interaction To Build Rapport—It’s critical that senior executives and product teams make small decisions over time about important technology initiatives to be able to adjust plans as things change. How does that work? What works well?— via 18F
