Tips for building a small, scrappy digital team
Explore hiring strategies, how to leverage contractors, and creative approaches for building your digital team.
Blogs
Government teams are improving digital experiences every day. Gain insights from their stories, case studies, and innovations.
Enhancing the customer-centricity of GSA websites
An overview of GSA’s website evaluation process, which combines qualitative and quantitative data to assess website management and performance.
Making the case for human-centered design: A Department of Justice case study
The Access DOJ initiative shares nine lessons on making services more accessible, effective, and efficient.
Building a tool to make mail in voter registration more accessible
Vote.gov partnered with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to create an accessible tool for filling out the National Mail Voter Registration Form. It simplifies the process with features like screen reader compatibility, mobile-friendly design, and state-specific instructions. Available in English and Spanish, the tool reduces errors and helps state election offices process forms more efficiently, making voter registration easier for everyone.— via USA.gov
18F Folks: Adopting a new illustration library
18F adopted a new illustration style, 18F Folks, to better represent the broad spectrum of human experiences. Moving away from simple bust portraits, this updated style captures more complex emotions and human interactions, fostering a stronger sense of connection. By focusing on inclusivity, 18F aims to make government content more relatable and welcoming, ensuring everyone feels valued and understood.— via 18F
Understand how search engines work, how people search online, and who is your audience — while recognizing language and cultural differences.
2024
The U.S. Web Design System team will share the product and engineering principles they’re using to guide the development of the design system.
2024
Making targeted improvements to NPS.gov: A case study from the National Park Service
NPS enhances user experience on NPS.gov by integrating Digital Analytics Program web analytics data and customer feedback from GSA Touchpoints.
Are social media influencers right for your digital media campaign?
Learn how to work with social media influencers to achieve your goals, while accounting for different budgets.
18F’s year of launches
Over the past year, 18F has helped partner agencies launch innovative software products to improve the public’s experience with the federal government. From helping Get.gov simplify domain requests to working with Notify.gov to develop a new public benefits texting service, the six projects featured here focus on putting their users first. Learn more about how these launches emphasize the importance of user research and strong partnerships in delivering better government services.— via 18F
Simplifying manual accessibility testing: How plain language instructions drive compliance
Testing for accessibility ensures that digital services are usable for everyone. Explore how the Office of Natural Resources and Revenue (ONRR) streamlined their manual testing process with plain language instructions to create a more uniform testing methodology across their agency. By balancing detail with usability and continually updating resources, ONRR empowers both their small team and subject matter experts to meet Section 508 compliance.— via Office of Natural Resources Revenue
Building a culture of customer experience across government
The Life Experience teams contain lessons for establishing a culture of customer experience in government, shifting to a focus on organizational practices.
Uncovering impactful solutions through user research
Get an overview of what user research and user testing are in a federal context. Learn what policies apply and what resources are available.
Delivering a digital-first public experience: One agency’s plan
Learn how the U.S. General Services Administration is tackling the 100+ requirements of OMB memo M-23-22, Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience.
The U.S. Web Design System team will share their exploration of Web Component-based design systems and best practices.
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2024
How our developers and accessibility specialists work together
Planning for accessibility is critical to creating more inclusive digital experiences. Discover how developers and accessibility specialists from USA.gov collaborate early in the development process to ensure that their government websites are accessible for everyone. By following established accessibility standards, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, USA.gov proactively reduces the need for later fixes.— via USA.gov
Data.gov launches metrics tools
New Data.gov metrics dashboard provides information on most visited datasets, most downloaded files, most clicked outbound links, top search terms, and more.
A revised and expanded guide for de-risking government technology projects
18F recently launched an updated version of the 2020 De-risking Government Technology Guide, offering a new section on vendor management, and combining the State Software Budgeting Handbook and Federal Field Guide into one unified resource. The guide offers practical methods for reducing risks in government tech projects, drawing from 18F’s experience and state employee input. This revision reflects the evolving needs of government agencies, providing key insights on custom software development, vendor collaboration, and performance-based contracting.— via 18F
How the Open Data, Design, and Development team implemented state and offshore region navigation pages with hallway testing
User feedback is key to creating great digital products, but limited resources can hinder research efforts. Hallway testing provides a quick, useful solution. By conducting informal interviews, the Open Data, Design, and Development team at the Department of the Interior gathered insights to improve navigation to state and offshore region pages on the Natural Resources Revenue Data website. After testing prototypes, the best option was implemented, streamlining access white minimizing resource use. The team’s next steps include monitoring performance, evaluating the addition of maps on select pages, and continued hallway testing.— via Office of Natural Resources Revenue
On USDC’s third anniversary, Fellows from all three cohorts reflect on their experiences
The U.S. Digital Corps (USDC), a two-year paid fellowship program for early-career technologists, launched in 2021. USDC achievements include hiring more than 150 technologists to support high-impact projects at 25 agencies. In honor of the third anniversary, six Fellows share their experiences and offer advice for those interested in combining their technological expertise with a focus on public service.— via U.S. Digital Corps
