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Design Principles

The USWDS design principles form the foundation for building effective, user-centered digital experiences in government. These principles guide every design and development decision.

For the full USWDS documentation, visit the USWDS Design Principles page.

Start with Real User Needs

Real user needs should inform product decisions.

Real people from target audiences must participate from the project's beginning. Teams should test assumptions and validate products with actual users to maintain focus on usefulness and importance.

Key Considerations

  • Access to research resources and identifying primary audiences
  • Understanding user needs and audience segments
  • Testing frequency with real people
  • Identifying users facing greatest difficulty
  • Research methods employed and findings documentation

Practical Actions

  • Begin projects with direct user engagement
  • Employ varied qualitative and quantitative research approaches
  • Use prototypes to validate assumptions in real-world contexts
  • Document and distribute research findings among stakeholders
  • Conduct ongoing testing during development

Earn Trust

Trust has to be earned every time.

Government websites cannot assume trust. It requires reliability, consistency, honesty, and stewardship of user data and time.

Key Considerations

  • User recognition of government identity
  • Public expectations alignment
  • Data privacy and protection measures
  • System redundancy and failure prevention
  • Content clarity and accessibility for limited-English audiences

Practical Actions

  • Clearly identify sites as federal government resources
  • Apply modern development best practices
  • Review content biannually for accuracy
  • Employ .gov domains and HTTPS security
  • Fix broken links and ensure straightforward communication
  • Manage data according to agency records and privacy standards
  • Publish open-source code and datasets when appropriate

Embrace Accessibility

Accessibility affects everybody; build it into every decision.

Legal requirements form a foundation, but accessibility ultimately serves real people. It represents usability for the broadest possible audience.

Key Considerations

  • Keyboard navigation capabilities
  • Screen reader compatibility
  • Content comprehension and clarity
  • Graphic element interpretation
  • Task completion ease
  • Testing with diverse user abilities
  • Multilingual content availability

Practical Actions

  • Make accessibility concrete through real-world impact examples
  • Engage agency accessibility teams
  • Learn about assistive technologies
  • Follow Revised 508 Standards and WCAG 2.1
  • Write accessible code with manual and automated testing
  • Use plain language with properly labeled headings, images, and links
  • Ensure logical page layouts and adequate color contrast
  • Test broadly throughout design and development
  • Address accessibility issues promptly
  • Incorporate accessibility into contracts

Promote Continuity

Minimize disruption, and provide a consistent experience throughout services.

Consistency doesn't require conformity. Agencies may differ, but shared solutions and values create continuity across platforms, devices, and time.

Key Considerations

  • User understanding of government identity and page purpose
  • Clear expectations for next steps
  • Existing style guidance availability
  • Testing shared solutions before creating new ones
  • Service context within customer journeys
  • Cross-agency collaboration opportunities
  • Device and browser compatibility
  • Related government services and ecosystem factors

Practical Actions

  • Consistently identify as government on every page
  • Implement flexible style guides for content consistency
  • Support mobile-friendly experiences across devices
  • Test on actual mobile devices regularly
  • Manage content moves or removals with proper notice
  • Clarify multi-step processes with progress indicators
  • Support multi-session task completion
  • Enable data reuse through auto-population for returning users
  • Participate in cross-government communities

Listen

Evaluate and improve your product by listening to your audience.

Continuous feedback drives continuous improvement. Measure customer experience at all project stages through direct observation and analytics.

Key Considerations

  • Access to design, development, and research skills
  • Key success metrics tied to user outcomes
  • Metric performance over service lifetime
  • System monitoring and issue response processes
  • User behavior measurement tools
  • Customer satisfaction assessment
  • Customer experience maturity evaluation
  • User feedback collection for bugs and issues

Practical Actions

  • Establish mechanisms for users to report bugs and issues
  • Actively collect and address feedback through surveys and communication
  • Implement Digital Analytics Program and agency-specific analytics
  • Include search functionality and analyze search data
  • Monitor social media platforms when present
  • Share metrics internally and externally
  • Conduct service design analysis for large projects
  • Involve entire project teams in user research
  • Observe users directly whenever possible
  • Continuously test and retest with real users
  • Share feedback and solutions back to internal and open-source projects
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