Unified. Intuitive. Elegant.
That’s the bar we set at Spire when we design (or redesign) a website. It’s what our clients need and what their constituents expect. First impressions are powerful, and websites create them in seconds.
Soon, a new federal mandate will push agencies to overhaul their first impressions across government sites.
What is America by Design?
America by Design is a national initiative, launched in August 2025, “to improve experiences for Americans, starting by breathing new life into the design of sites where people interface with their Government.”
In addition to physical spaces where Americans seek government services, America by Design takes aim at digital spaces. By improving the aesthetics and usability of federal websites, the initiative aims to save taxpayer dollars and reduce the time Americans spend navigating sites that are often inconsistent, clunky, and not mobile friendly.
A great redesign is more than skin deep
With a deadline of July 4, 2026, to achieve the new standard, many agencies have a great deal of work ahead. Redesigning a complex website that must meet the needs of diverse audiences is a heavy lift. This goes double (maybe triple) for agencies that need to consolidate multiple subsites into a single unified experience – a challenge many leaders will face.
It sounds daunting, but it’s also doable.
I say this with confidence because the Spire team has done it. We developed ARPA-H.gov, we implemented the new DARPA.mil website, and we are currently redesigning HealthIT.gov (slated for launch this fall).
The way we see it, a mandated redesign creates a tremendous opportunity for agencies to reimagine the way their website supports their mission.
This reimagining is crucial because a simple reskinning isn’t going to deliver real value. Sure, website visitors might be momentarily wowed by a modern-looking design, but if they can’t accomplish their goals, no edgy font or fresh color palette is going to make up for their frustration.
Stop informing and start interacting
Traditionally, agencies viewed their websites as a one-way communication tool, focusing on informing and educating. But that’s not the only thing their audiences want or need. A modern website can and should do much more, providing a platform where agencies can interact with citizens, directly deliver services, and enable them to get things done quickly online.
To achieve the objectives of America by Design, agencies must consider and accommodate a greater variety of end goals. Then they must define and build out the user journeys that enable visitors to satisfy those goals with minimal friction.
It’s important to note that, while the initiative calls for commercial-caliber experiences, user journeys for government websites are vastly different from those of commercial websites. Understanding those journeys is key to restructuring the site’s information architecture (IA), as is applying IA best practices for government sites.
Balance ease of use with precision language
Let’s face it, the work of government is complex. Taxes, healthcare, finance, space exploration, cybersecurity – these and other agency domains are massive, intricate, and even life-or-death consequential. This is why precision is so important in policy and regulatory language.
A commercial-caliber experience, however, must be intuitive. Users expect an interface they can navigate on a tiny mobile screen, completing their business with the government in minutes (if not faster).
To hit this bar, federal websites must prioritize plain language, following best practices in writing for screens – including effective microcopy to guide users quickly to the right place.
Design with the next redesign in mind
A redesign also represents an opportunity for agencies to make future website improvements easier – because no matter how great your next design iteration is, there will always be another.
This means making forward-thinking decisions about critical, foundational elements, including:
- Choosing a content management platform that doesn’t require development support for simple changes (check out our comparison of WordPress v Drupal for government sites).
- Creating a flexible information architecture and a taxonomy optimized for government sites that makes additions and reorganizations much easier, eliminating the push to spin off subsites in the future.
- Using a modular design system so content editors can optimize page layouts without compromising consistency – and without the need for developer support.
For the HealthIT.gov site, Spire leveraged the US Web Design System (USWDS), an open-source toolkit of principles, guidance, and code for federal websites. Slated for an update as part of America by Design, USWDS forms the backbone of the robust component library the Spire team developed for HealthIT.gov – providing both flexibility and consistency for the new site.
Good design builds trust
It’s hard to overstate the value of good design or the importance of sound architecture, smart taxonomy, and nimble content platform. America by Design rightly emphasizes the benefits of reduced direct and opportunity costs for agencies and the American public.
By rebuilding government interfaces to be more user friendly and aesthetically pleasing, the initiative will help foster greater trust in the agencies that serve us all.
Learn more about Spire’s website design and development services and how we serve federal agencies.
