Blogs

Government teams are improving digital experiences every day. Gain insights from their stories, case studies, and innovations.

Broadening Public Participation and Community Engagement With the Federal Government

Government works best when it incorporates transparent engagement and feedback from the public. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is enhancing public participation in federal decision-making through draft guidance and a proposed toolkit. These resources aim to standardize best practices, improve accessibility, and ensure underserved communities have meaningful opportunities to contribute. By prioritizing transparency and collaboration, OMB seeks to create politics that reflect the voices and needs of the public. — via Performance.gov

Oct 29, 2024

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.

Becky Slogeris

Kim Lopez

Oct 28, 2024

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

Oct 22, 2024

Understand how search engines work, how people search online, and who is your audience — while recognizing language and cultural differences.

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. event_organizer: Digital.gov

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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.

Nathan King

Oct 11, 2024

Learn how to work with social media influencers to achieve your goals, while accounting for different budgets.

Oct 10, 2024

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

Oct 7, 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.

Kennedy Alexis

Samantha Noor

Louisa Sholar

Oct 7, 2024

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.

Frances Carden

Oct 4, 2024

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.

Jessica Marine

Sep 23, 2024

The U.S. Web Design System team will share their exploration of Web Component-based design systems and best practices.

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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

Sep 17, 2024

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.

Tim Lowden

Sep 13, 2024

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

Sep 3, 2024

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

Aug 30, 2024

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

Aug 27, 2024

How Login.gov uses roadmapping to build trust with its partners and the public

To increase transparency, the Login.gov team publishes a program roadmap that lays out their upcoming initiatives.

Jeff Bordogna

Aug 26, 2024

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

Aug 20, 2024

A journey of improvement: Creating a self-assessment for digital experience

Memo M-23-22 from the Office of Management and Budget provides guidance to federal agencies on delivering a digital-first public experience. To quantify its compliance with the memo, the Open Data, Design, and Development team at the Department of the Interior created and conducted a self-assessment of its digital products. The team used a scoring spreadsheet to measure compliance across categories like accessibility, design consistency, and mobile responsiveness. The results helped the team develop a plan to prioritize improvements and engage with leadership for support on other initiatives. — via Office of Natural Resources Revenue