DigitalGov Summit Recap: Innovation Through Customer Experience
A panel discussion at the 2015 DigitalGov Citizen Services Summit delved into customer experience (CX) work at three agencies with diverse missions.
News and Updates
Innovative work, news, and ideas from people and teams in government
Welcome to BetaFEC: Campaign Finance for Everyone
As the 2016 presidential election heats up, here at 18F we’ve been working with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to make campaign finance data more accessible to the public. Today, we launched betaFEC, the first piece in a complete redesign of the FEC’s online
New Website. New Farmers.
USDA has been looking for ways to improve content delivery to our customers and making their first interaction with USDA and government a positive one. In 2014, USDA launched New Farmers, a website dedicated to helping new and beginning farmers and ranchers find the resources
DigitalGov Podcast: Bridging Content and Discovery Through DigitalGov Search
Recently, search analyst Dawn McCleskey sat down with us to discuss the work of DigitalGov Search.
Skin & Bones Come Alive with Smithsonian App
The night air is cool and crisp, the autumn leaves are falling, your costume is ready, jack-o-lanterns carved, lights dimmed, candy in the basket—what else do you need to make “All Hallows’ Eve trick or treat” complete? Some eerie music, a spine
Empowering the Voice of Citizens at Core of GSA Open Government
We are proud to announce our commitment to the third U.S. National Action Plan for Open Government, released this week at the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit in Mexico City, Mexico,
GSA Open Government Builds Solutions and Gives Voice to Citizens
Our work at the General Services Administration encompass many of the pillars of Open Government, from giving a greater voice to citizens to through Public Participation innovations like Challenge.gov to making the
New White House Innovation Strategy Promotes Increase in Challenges and Prizes
The White House released an updated Strategy for American Innovation last week, calling again on government to tap the American public’s brain trust
Building the Next Generation of Government Innovators
Innovators are made, not born. This summer, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began cultivating the next generation of federal innovators through a summer incubator boot camp, aimHI. AimHI is a pilot program to get high school students excited about careers in health information technology, medical devices and public service. Instead of traditional internships, which
The Data Briefing: Create an App for Employees with Disabilities
Have you worked with an employee with a disability? Are you an employee with a disability? Then, you know the unique challenges of the average workplace that able-bodied colleagues may never experience. Workplace challenges could be overcome with accommodations such as larger computer monitor displays, wheelchair-accessible office furniture or a voice reader. In some cases,
Training Series Offers Marketing Tips for Prizes & Challenges
Marketing and public education is an essential part of any successful prize competition. The good news for federal agencies working with tight budgets is that both can be accomplished without breaking the bank. “We have found other ways than spending a lot of money,” said Denice Shaw, senior advisor to the Chief Innovation Officer at the
Trends on Tuesday: Users Spend Most of Their Time in Social Apps
ComScore released a new 2015 U.S. Mobile App report tracking native mobile app usage among adults over 18 years old, and it reinforced a lot of the trends we’ve been reporting on DigitalGov.
Texting is Another Way to Make Mobile Moments
There are several things federal agencies need to think about in the mobile space. Is my website responsive, so that consumers can view it on any device (desktop/laptop, tablet, smartphone)? Do I have mobile apps that fill citizen needs? But does texting have a place in the U.S. government, as we strive to serve citizens
#NIHDigital Summit: Optimizing Digital to Reach Patients, Scientists, Clinicians and the Public
On October 19th, NIH brought together nearly 1,500 digital and health experts in person and via webcast. The event featured two keynote speakers and panels that showcased the unique perspectives of patients and caregivers, health
The Content Corner: Twitter, Apple News and the Importance of Our Websites
First, McDonald’s started serving breakfast all day. Now, Twitter announced it is dropping its 140 character limit for tweets. Black is white, up is down. Or is it really that big a deal? Is Twitter just keeping itself relevant in the battle for your content? LinkedIn and Facebook were first with their strong push for organizations to
Is Your Site Mobile-Friendly?
What is mobile-friendly? Mobile-friendly simply means your visitors can use phones and tablets to visit your website and have a user-friendly experience. Many of us get toward the end of mobile site development and really do not know if what we created is “mobile-friendly.” We think we have followed all of the mobile best practices
Technical Writing Need Not Be Abstruse—Use Plain Language for Maximum Impact
Author writes: Additionally, the method utilized a myriad of factors for the purpose of incentivizing production to hit record-high levels of magnitude in the equivalent time period. Author thinks: My work sounds serious, impressive and interesting. Reader thinks: Huh? Technical writers are great—some of my favorite colleagues are technical writers. But technical writers often need
Know Your Molluscs with the Terrestrial Mollusc Key
The Terrestrial Mollusc Key mobile app from the Department of Agriculture is specifically designed to assist in the identification of adult terrestrial slugs and snails of agricultural importance.
GSA Announces First-Ever Challenge.gov Mentorship Program
It may seem like issuing an open challenge to the American public is a novel form of federal procurement, but it has quickly become an effective way of generating fresh solutions to enduring problems. In every community, there are those who use their knowledge and experience to guide their neighbors down new paths. The federal
Modernizing Federal Information Policy
Today, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is proposing for the first time in fifteen years revisions to the Federal Government’s governing document establishing policies for the management of Federal information resources: Circular A-130, Managing Information as a Strategic Resource.
