Our mission
To deliver better government services to the American people through technology and design.
Who we are
We are mission-driven professionals who are passionate about applying our work and lived experiences to public service. We come from a range of backgrounds, just like the people we serve. We are curious about understanding the needs of people and are excited to use our short tours of service to make a positive impact.
What we do
We collaborate with public servants throughout the government to address some of the most critical needs and ultimately deliver a better government experience to people. We work across multiple agencies and bring best practices from our various disciplines, which include engineering, product, design, procurement, data science, operations, talent, and communications.
Our objectives
- Transform critical, public-facing services
- Expand the use of common platforms, services, and tools
- Rethink how the Government buys digital services
- Bring top technical talent into civic service
Who we help
Our products engage real users before launch. We apply user-centered design and iterative development to prioritize user needs and learn what works as quickly as possible.
Veterans
Military service members
Farmers
Medicare beneficiaries
Students
Small business owners
Our values
Hire and empower great people.
Humans push our mission forward. Empathy and tenacity are just as important as being a great technologist.
Find the truth. Tell the truth.
We expect everyone to be humble, but question what’s presented to them, and have the confidence to find a new path forward.
Optimize for results, not optics.
We work for the people — not attention, status, or headlines. Our projects may be hard, but we know they’re worth doing.
Go where the work is.
Meeting with civil servants where they are means we can partner to create lasting change. Modernizing government is up to all of us, together.
Create momentum.
People urgently need better digital services from their government. By building velocity, we can deliver more value, faster.
Design with users, not for them.
The best products aren’t created in a vacuum. Using empathy and curiosity, we can effectively address our users’ needs.
The USDS origin story
The idea of a team like USDS had been percolating since 2012, and people across federal agencies had been exploring new modes of hiring and working since 2008. The HealthCare.gov launch crisis created an opportunity for a scrappy idea to become a reality. The challenges behind the launch made clear that accessing government services should be as easy as ordering a book online.
Founded by President Obama in August of 2014, the U.S. Digital Service brought together the best engineering, design, and government talent to change our government’s approach to technology. We planned to hire ten people for three critical national priorities: modernizing immigration, Veterans’ benefits, and HealthCare.gov. During the 2015 State of the Union address, we launched an online application to join the team. We worried if ten people would even apply. 1000 did.
We quickly went to work with a simple strategy:
Recruit top designers, engineers, product managers, and digital policy experts. Pair these digital experts with our nation’s leading civil servants. Deploy these teams to address some of the most critical government services, together.
We’re proud of everything we’ve worked for since. The team we’ve assembled has relocated to Washington, D.C., from more than 20 states and territories and counting. They’re enthusiastic about emoji, laptop stickers, and scanning the Federal Register. Does this sound like you? Apply now.
