Ep. 120 How to Improve User Experience on Federal Websites

On December 13, 2021, an Executive Order titled “Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government.”   This initiative reflects the greater commercial experience. Because people are now so comfortable with transactions on a phone that customers are using sites that present as “user friendly.”  

When combined with the Covid information that the federal government was presenting, the idea of improving the user experience only makes sense.

Thelma Van is an articulate and experienced professional with user experience. During this interview, she takes the topic from a high level the level of the click.  The interview covers topics like infrastructure, common communication, and a focus on user needs.

When it comes to defining user experience or UX, it is a formal method to evaluate functionality. In other words, how a typical user attempts to complete a task on a website.

Thelma Van suggests that if agencies are interested in improving user experience, then they should start with getting as many stakeholders as possible in a room and listening to the challenges they express. Although there are tools like heat maps and speed evaluations, her experience makes her put the focus on human beings first.

The federal government is going through a “digital transformation.”   Many focus on important topics like identity management, software bills of materials, and even graphics processors. This is the interview that shows listeners that software development should put primary emphasis on the people the systems are designed to serve.

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