USAGov Blog

Getting the word out about voter registration: Vote.gov’s first social media takeover with USAGov

Claire Loxsom — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 14:33:00 GMT

Last fall, vote.gov and the USAGov program partnered on our first “social media takeover” for a day-long campaign encouraging people to register to vote. As key players connecting people to official government information and services, we rooted this effort in our mutual messaging and goals to help guide the public.

Designing with empathy

Claire Loxsom — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 11:45:00 GMT

Empathy was one of the guiding principles we used when we created the new version of USAGov’s benefit finder. We believe that in addition to being a critical component of human-centered design, empathy is essential for our product. People who are applying for federal benefits may be going through a difficult life situation. If we can’t empathize and fail to offer a product that understands and meets people where they are, we might lose the opportunity to provide the practical support they need.

Accessibility testing: creating digital services everyone can use

Angelica Perez — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 14:48:00 GMT

Making sure USA.gov and USAGov en Español remain accessible to people with disabilities is essential. So accessibility testing is a regular part of our development process.

Less is more: improving the public’s web search experience with filters

Angelica Perez — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:00:00 GMT

Most people have probably used search filters on e-commerce sites to select different options to narrow down search results. Now Search.gov is offering the same flexibility to federal websites, giving their users control over the amount of detail they get in their search results.

USAGov en Español's FY2023 fourth quarter insights

Angelica Perez — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 16:00:00 GMT

USAGov's FY2023 fourth quarter insights

Angelica Perez — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 16:00:00 GMT

Speaking your language: USAGov outreach’s approach to bilingual content

Angelica Perez — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 15:00:00 GMT

As we shared in our 20th anniversary post, people have come to USAGov en Español since 2003 for official, trusted government information and services in Spanish. The site was created as a counterpart to USA.gov (then known as FirstGov.gov) and in response to Executive Order 13166to improve access to services for people with limited English proficiency (LEP).

Celebrating 20 years of USAGov en Español

Angelica Perez — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 18:42:47 GMT

We’re excited to celebrate USAGov en Español’s 20th anniversary this month. Since 2003, the site has been a trusted guide to government information and services for Spanish speakers.

5 things we learned from our scams wizard usability test

Angelica Perez — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 19:25:13 GMT

USAGov works to make it easier to find and understand government benefits, programs, and information.

6 lessons from a project handoff

Angelica Perez — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 15:00:00 GMT

Project handoffs are not simple. Teams have their own cultures and work styles. Without planning, a project could lose institutional memory, time, quality, and funding when it passes from one team to the next.