User Experience

News and Events on User Experience

339 posts

Why the American People Deserve a Digital Government

OMB released new policy guidance for government that includes a variety of actions and standards to help federal agencies design, develop, and deliver modern websites and digital services. Memo M-23-22, Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience, will make it seamless for the public to obtain government information and services online, and help agencies fully implement the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (21st Century IDEA). — via The White House

Sep 22, 2023

First, do no harm: mistakes to avoid in creating accessible user experiences

Accessible design and development practices help us build inclusive experiences. But we can lose sight of the people we serve if we don’t steadily work to better understand our users. To create accessible experiences, avoid these mistakes. — via 18F

Sep 05, 2023

Get to know Search.gov

Search.gov’s goal is to deliver a high-quality, government-wide search engine that allows agencies to customize search experiences for the public, regardless of website type or organization. Learn about standard offerings, as well as three major enhancements. — via USA.gov

Jul 25, 2023

Reflections on a year in government from 11 U.S. Digital Corps fellows

To celebrate their first year in government, 11 U.S. Digital Corps Fellows reflect on what they have learned.

Posts by Kira Tebbe Posts by Samira Sadat Posts by Pierce Lowary Posts by Sahithi N. Adari Posts by Jay Shao Posts by Nina Anusavice Posts by Karley Thurston Posts by Jonathan Hart Posts by Liane Peng Posts by Chizobam Nwagwu Posts by Nikki Ramos

Jul 18, 2023

3 ways to improve communication between contact center agents and customers

The USAGov Contact Center is committed to meeting customers’ needs empathetically, efficiently, and accurately. Here are three tips recommended to USAGov agents for interacting with customers. — via USA.gov

Jun 27, 2023

Planning and implementing a search engine for a redesigned federal government website

In this blog, we walk you through our planning and implementation process for Search.gov. We share lessons learned, as well as resources we found useful. — via Office of Natural Resources Revenue

May 26, 2023

Personas: learn how to discover your audience, understand them, and pivot to address their needs

Advice from five federal experts on creating user personas.

Posts by Frances Carden

May 19, 2023

A digital accessibility catalyst for your next policy refresh

Use GSA’s IT Accessibility Policy Framework to update digital accessibility language in your agency’s policies.

Posts by Andrew Nielson

May 15, 2023

Introducing the new USA.gov

We’re excited to share that the new USA.gov and USAGov en Español are live. However, we’re not finished. See what we’ll be working on in the future. — via USA.gov

Apr 18, 2023

Modernizing a federal government website with user-centered design

In this blog post, we break down our process for redesigning a federal government website (onrr.gov) into six detailed sections. This blog serves as a helpful guide for other agencies looking to do a major website redesign. — via Office of Natural Resources Revenue

Mar 30, 2023

Testing Beta for Accessibility

The USAGov team strives to ensure all our websites are accessible to as many people as possible. This includes those who need the use of specialized assistive technologies when browsing the internet. In building beta.USA.gov we deliberately validated that it met Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 compliance requirements. Our testing approach includes a three step hybrid method that may be suitable for other agency use. — via USA.gov

Mar 16, 2023

5 Changes the UX Team Made for Beta

The USAGov UX team has made improvements to beta.usa.gov in new ways. See the five changes that help us understand user needs and pain points. — via USA.gov

Mar 14, 2023

HHS Leverages Data for Impact and Action at the 2023 Health Datapalooza

U.S. Digital Corps Fellows at HHS proved instrumental to delivering this year’s Health Datapalooza, especially the 2023 Health Equity DataJam, which launched at the event as a two-month-long technology sprint through the end of April. A professional association for health services and policy researchers will run the DataJam using HHS open data. Thanks to the U.S. Digital Corps Fellows, HealthData.gov includes DataJam challenge prompts, priority themes, open datasets, and curated resources for solvers. — via U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Mar 10, 2023

Call for participation: Government UX summit 2023

The UX Summit will be a one day virtual event on June 14, 2023. New and experienced UX practitioners are encouraged to participate.

Posts by Jeannie Yoon

Mar 09, 2023

A happy compromise between people-first and plain language

Find out how the National Institute of Corrections is using people-first plain language in its communications. See what words and phrases they’re changing.

Posts by Celia A. Terrazas

Mar 07, 2023

Building Beta: The Foundation

The USAGov program has been developing a new iteration of our bilingual sites, USA.gov and USAGov en Español. In the process of building beta.USA.gov and beta.USA.gov en Español, we’ve been rethinking our work style and priorities. Follow the “Building Beta” series to learn how we’re reimagining the way we approach product management, usability, accessibility, content creation, analytics, and outreach. — via USA.gov

Mar 07, 2023

How to manage a federal website

Managing government websites is a targeted exercise. Here are 5 steps to help you build and maintain a successful one.

Posts by Frances Carden

Feb 02, 2023

Bringing design in-house

What is design, who are designers, and how can they help your agency? Learn how to build a design team that can help your agency solve “wicked problems” and be more innovative.

Posts by Ana Monroe

Jan 27, 2023

DHS Usability Testing Kit

Usability testing is a way to learn how easy or difficult it is for people to use something by observing them actually using it. The resources provided in this kit can help you systematize the process, produce reliable findings, and generally expand your ability to test service materials (i.e., paper and digital forms, mobile applications, web pages, etc.) thoroughly with real users — before you launch them out into the world.

Posts by U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Jun 13, 2022

IT Modernization

Technology-boosting TMF Investments Deliver Benefits for the American Public

The Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) is working to transform the way the government uses technology to deliver for the American public in an equitable, secure and user-friendly way. It strategically invests in priority IT modernization projects that are aligned with the fast pace of changing technology and agency needs. Here are a few examples of how the TMF has invested in multiple projects that are helping many agencies deliver what people need when they need.

Posts by GSA Blog Team

May 23, 2022

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