Putting Users First in Government Digital Services 

Across many digital initiatives, especially when it comes to large and complex federal agencies and organizations, projects often prioritize technical delivery, compliance, and stakeholder requirements above all else. While each is critical, an essential and frequently neglected component is the user. Whether it’s a public-facing service or an internal tool for government teams, the experience of the end-user can make or break adoption and effectiveness. To that end, good user experience (UX) helps introduce empathy, clarity, and usability to systems that are too often designed around the problem rather than the people who use them. 

Over the past decade of my professional career, I’ve worked as a front-end developer and UX engineer, building interfaces and prototypes that sit at the intersection of functionality and usability. In that time, I’ve learned that UX isn’t just a design discipline, it’s a mindset. It’s about asking the right questions, listening to users, and making sure that the solutions we build don’t create friction for the actions the user is trying to make.

Too often, solutions are scoped and implemented in ways that check all the technical boxes but still create friction or confusion for the people who are meant to consume the product. When interfaces are unintuitive or overwhelming, even the most well-intentioned services can become barriers. UX helps shift the focus from making something function to making it genuinely usable, aligning systems with how people think, behave, and interact. 

Sound intimidating? Fortunately, there are tools and frameworks designed to make this work more approachable. One of the most impactful resources in the federal space is the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS). Created specifically with federal agencies in mind, the USWDS provides a shared design language and comprehensive library that support both usability and 508 compliance. It enables design and development teams to move more efficiently, with confidence that the interfaces they build are meeting accessibility standards and delivering a coherent experience to users. 

The USWDS represents a major step forward towards more human-centered government services. Instead of starting from scratch with each project, teams can draw from a deliberately crafted system that reflects real user needs across a whole variety of use cases. It shifts the conversation from how something should be built to asking how it can better serve the user.  

Likewise, the USWDS serves as a platform and sandbox for UX experimentation, research, and iterative thinking that can be conducted free of disrupting the many teams using the design system. These qualities support a more lean and efficient design and development process that keeps the user at the center without compromising on consistency, accessibility, or speed. 

As government services continue to evolve, UX is no longer a nice-to-have, but rather essential to ensuring that systems are intuitive, reliable, and usable for everyone. Good UX reduces confusion, minimizes errors, and helps people complete tasks without unnecessary frustration. Whether someone is applying for benefits, accessing health information, or submitting important documents, the experience should feel clear, predictable, and respectful of their time. By embracing UX principles, and by using and improving tools like the USWDS, we can create digital experiences that are not only efficient, but also genuinely helpful. Afterall, the best UX often goes unnoticed because it simply works. 

Eric Fuhrmann joined FMP as a Business Analyst in November 2024, bringing over a decade of experience in frontend web development and UX design. He holds a B.A. from Syracuse University and currently lives in the Denver, CO area. Outside of work, Eric enjoys spending time with his family, cycling, skiing, and playing games with friends.