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
Human centered design
Take the guesswork out of service design by understanding people's needs.
Human centered design (HCD) is a philosophy and method that places people’s experiences at the heart of service design. Unlike traditional, system-centric approaches, HCD prioritizes understanding real-world challenges and frustrations faced by users and crafting solutions that directly address them. HCD is a continuous process, not a one-time fix. Regular evaluation and user feedback are essential to maintain relevance and adapt services to evolving user needs. HCD provides a valuable framework for ensuring government services are and remain accessible, efficient, and user-centric.
Related Policy
21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act & OMB Memo M-23-22
Resources on Human centered design
-
Requirements for strengthening the federal government’s commitment to digital accessibility
Learn how to implement Section 508, and strengthen and maintain your agency’s commitment to digital accessibility.
Tools and Services
-
The Lab at OPM
A team of designers with diverse backgrounds that help agencies address complex challenges and build human-centered design capacity across the federal government.
Join a Community of Practice
-
Join the Web Managers
Create a better online experience for the public alongside government web content managers.
Human centered design events
The U.S. Web Design System team will share their exploration of Web Component-based design systems and best practices.
Watch Video
2024
The U.S. Web Design System team will answer community questions and give an update on their work developing web components for the design system.
Watch Video
2024
The U.S. Web Design System team will give an update on their work developing web components for the design system.
Watch Video
2024
The U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) team will chat with Center for Civic Design co-founder Whitney Quesenbery about designing accessible civic spaces.
Watch Video
2024
Human centered design news
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.
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
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.
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
Resources on Human centered design
-
Requirements for strengthening the federal government’s commitment to digital accessibility
Learn how to implement Section 508, and strengthen and maintain your agency’s commitment to digital accessibility.
Tools and Services
-
The Lab at OPM
A team of designers with diverse backgrounds that help agencies address complex challenges and build human-centered design capacity across the federal government.
More News and Events on Human centered design
116 posts
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.
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
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
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.
The U.S. Web Design System team will share their exploration of Web Component-based design systems and best practices.
Watch Video
2024
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
How multicultural research guides the USA.gov benefit finder
Discover how USA.gov tailors its benefit finder experience for both English and Spanish-speaking users through culturally nuanced content. Through dual-track language research, a bilingual support team, and A/B testing, USA.gov ensures that more users receive relevant, empathetic, and user-friendly content. The USA.gov team also identified and addressed recruitment challenges to interatively improve its ongoing research processes.— via USA.gov
User research and the Paperwork Reduction Act
User research is an important part of customer experience transformation. Different types of research require different approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Through seven case studies, the U.S. Digital Service shows how agencies conducted valuable user research that did not require PRA approval and successfully integrated findings into their projects. Their work illustrates how thoughtful user research transforms delivery of services and helps agencies build trust in government.— via U.S. Digital Service
The U.S. Web Design System team will answer community questions and give an update on their work developing web components for the design system.
Watch Video
2024
10 years of the U.S. Digital Service: Transforming government for the digital age
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
Department of Justice recognizes anniversary of executive order to improve access for people with limited English profiency
The Department of Justice recently marked the 24th anniversary of Executive Order 13166, which aims to improve access to federal services for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). Its Civil Rights Division reviewed language access plans across federal agencies, emphasizing progress in hiring and staff training, improving language assistance services, and expanding multilingual content. The department is committed to eliminating language barriers in federal programs, improving communication and access for all communities.— via Department of Justice
IT warning banners: How GSA is working to stop unnecessarily frightening users
OMB Memo M-23-22 discourages the use of pop-ups and modals. GSA IT updated security policies so that IT warning banners are presented less intrusively to users.
Developing an easier way to recruit user research participants
USA.gov and 10x recently partnered to develop a new user research recruitment page. The page launched in February 2024 and has attracted hundreds of sign-ups. It allows participants to assist in testing government websites for compensation, and helps teams find participants that match needed demographics. By simplifying the process and expanding recruitment of diverse populations, the initiative aims to support and streamline user research. It plans to add recruitment opportunities in additional languages and recruit more specific audiences for future studies.— via USA.gov
Supporting innovation through the American Rescue Plan
GSA uses American Rescue Plan funding for over 40 initiatives to foster community, improve user experiences, and empower underserved populations.
Introducing the Department of Homeland Security customer experience toolkit
The Department of Homeland Security’s Customer Experience Directorate developed a customer experience (CX) toolkit to help agencies implement CX strategies using a human-centered design approach. The toolkit offers resources to enhance service delivery, processes, and systems, following a “Ready, Set, Grow” framework for planning and implementation. It aims to serve as a reference for organizations bringing CX practices to their own agencies.— via Department of Homeland Security
Designing for people with disabilities
The User Experience (UX) team at USA.gov’s Public Experience Portfolio recently conducted a study to analyze the experiences of individuals who access USA.gov through assistive technology. The team partnered with a local organization to gather insights from a diverse group of participants, many of whom are blind or deaf. The study revealed various habits and challenges faced by these users, such as a preference for mobile sites, difficulty with website carousels, and a reliance on clear headings and action-oriented descriptions. These findings can guide improvements in accessibility, such as clever link labeling and better navigation aids for assistive technology users.— via USA.gov
A small team’s journey through digital maturity
As a small team, Digital.gov adopted user research and customer experience early. That foundation helps develop evidence-based strategies for today.
Bridge the gap between policy and implementation: Impactful solutions and strategies for success from Digital.gov’s spring 2024 summit
The summit highlighted digital transformation, emphasizing the significance of recent OMB memos for improving accessibility and customer experience.
Digital front door: Expanding access to VA
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
