OMB has issued a memo on the look, content and operation of agency websites, in what amounts to new standards for a major way that federal agencies present themselves to members of the public and interact with them.
“Federal agency public websites and digital services are the primary means by which the public receives information from and interacts with the federal government. These websites and services help the public apply for benefits, search for jobs, comply with federal rules, obtain authoritative information, and much more. Federal websites and digital services should always meet and maintain high standards of effectiveness and usability and provide quality information that is readily accessible to all,” says memo M-17-06.
Agencies are to “manage their websites and digital services not as discrete individual IT projects, but as part of a comprehensive strategy covering all their digital information and services”—and further are to publicly post their governance plan on their Digital Strategy page and keep it updated.
Further, “all public facing websites and digital services should be designed around user needs with data-driven analysis influencing management and development decisions. Agencies should use qualitative and quantitative data to determine user goals, needs, and behaviors, and continually test websites and digital services to ensure that user needs are addressed.” This is to include using GSA’s digital analytics program to gather quantitative analytics to inform website management and gathering feedback from users through focus groups, online surveys and other means.
The memo, which replaces a similar one now 12 years old and builds on several policies issued since then, requires compliance within 180 days. GSA will monitor compliance and report it on the DotGov Dashboard. GSA also is to establish within 30 days a new interagency council of web/digital directors.