Our Blog

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. 

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.

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).

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.

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

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. 

When creating content for our newly reimagined websites, the USAGov content team spent many hours researching topics, analyzing data, and writing user-friendly copy. We also spent a fair bit of time thinking through one small, but impactful detail: What is the best case style to use for titles and headings?