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Guidance on building better digital services in government
Make it easier for the public to access the information and services that they count on each and every day.
For millions, access to digital services isn’t a luxury—it’s critical. The public’s experiences using government websites to find unemployment support, file taxes, apply for student loans, or get assistance with housing, childcare, or food can dramatically affect how they feel about the government. Digital service delivery is the primary subject of 21st Century IDEA, and its policy guidance in OMB M-23-22, which requires federal agencies to enact best practices.
21st Century IDEA requires executive branch agency websites to be in compliance with the website standards.
Understand how to adopt the Design System incrementally, and design and build better digital experiences.
The Digital Analytics Program (DAP) offers advanced, easy web analytics for federal agencies. All public-facing federal websites can participate.
The Site Scanning program automates a wide range of scans of public federal websites and generates data about website health, policy compliance, and best practices. Use the data to understand the health of your agency’s websites.
Digital governance refers to the internal systems and processes we use to manage our digital presence. Learn why governance is essential to digital service delivery.
Design and deliver digital services with everyone in mind. Use both manual and automated testing methods to create accessible websites.
Creating quality digital content is not a one-time endeavor. Explore these approaches to managing and improving excellent digital content over time.
NPS enhances user experience on NPS.gov by integrating Digital Analytics Program web analytics data and customer feedback from GSA Touchpoints.
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
Get an overview of what user research and user testing are in a federal context. Learn what policies apply and what resources are available.
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.
Use this template, shared at the 2024 Spring Community Summit, to improve your own service delivery.
Use this template, shared at the 2024 Spring Community Summit, to improve your own service delivery.
The Digital Experience (DX) Council plays a critical role in coordinating governmentwide efforts and assisting agencies in delivering digital experiences that meet the public’s needs and expectations.
Guidance on meeting security requirements for federal websites.
Learn how to set performance goals, and identify specific KPIs and targets to measure and meet them, using web analytics.
Guidance on how to build government websites that people can trust.
Enables the government and the public to understand the value of their federal IT portfolios, manage the health of their IT investments, and make better IT planning decisions.
OPM’s DEIA Strategic Plan identifies goals accompanied by actionable strategies that will advance our human capital priorities.
OPM’s governmentwide DEIA policies, guidance, and strategic plans, presidential executive orders, federal personnel programs, and frequently asked questions.
In this special report, we discuss a website redesign’s nine phases and their impact on search.
A toolkit of principles, guidance, and code that helps agency digital teams build accessible, mobile-friendly government websites for the American public.
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Creating quality digital content is not a one-time endeavor. Explore these approaches to managing and improving excellent digital content over time.
NPS enhances user experience on NPS.gov by integrating Digital Analytics Program web analytics data and customer feedback from GSA Touchpoints.
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
Get an overview of what user research and user testing are in a federal context. Learn what policies apply and what resources are available.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
GSA uses American Rescue Plan funding for over 40 initiatives to foster community, improve user experiences, and empower underserved populations.
18F recently celebrated its 10th anniversary by renewing its commitment to refining and sharing best practices through regular publications, tech talks, and updates to the 18F Engineering Guide. They also created a permanent principal consulting engineer role to enhance digital service delivery and support skill development within the organization.— via 18F
The summit highlighted digital transformation, emphasizing the significance of recent OMB memos for improving accessibility and customer experience.
In 2021, the President’s Management Agenda identified federal customer experience as a priority area for improvement. To implement this priority area, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) set two long-term, cross-agency priority (CAP) goals. In this study, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviews OMB and selected federal agencies’ efforts towards these CAP goals. Learn about actions taken by OMB and selected High Impact Service Providers (HISPs), how OMB has facilitated interagency collaboration, and the extent to which OMB has overseen and assessed progress on these CAP goals.— via Government Accountability Office
Learn how the Open Data, Design, and Development (ODDD) team at the Department of the Interior (DOI) transitioned from Google Analytics - Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4! Discover how the ODDD team coordinated with the Digital Analytics Program, developed explorations (instead of custom reports), and set up their own DOI agency property.— via Office of Natural Resources Revenue
The Digital Experience Council plays a critical role in coordinating governmentwide efforts and assisting agencies in delivering digital experiences that meet the public’s needs and expectations.
On April 8, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland signed a final rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure the accessibility of web content and mobile applications for people with disabilities. This final rule clarifies the obligations of state and local governments to make their websites and mobile applications accessible. Learn more about this rule and why the Attorney General believes it will “break down barriers that have kept people with disabilities from fully participating in American Life.”— via Department of Justice
We’re celebrating all the ways we continue to realize our founding vision: bringing technologists into government, launching shared digital services, and helping partner agencies build user-centered technology.— via 18F
While the field of federal web management continues to evolve, the core best practices have remained essentially unchanged for two decades.
Digital.gov
An official website of the U.S. General Services Administration
