Experiencing life,

not government
Designing for the space between agencies

International Design in Government Day

Code for America Summit 2019

May 29, 2019 1

 We work in three different agencies that have
unique connections to all federal agencies.

Office of Management & Budget General Services Administration Office of Personnel Management
Amira Boland (she/her) Matt Ford (he/him) Aaron Stienstra (he/him)

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Who are we working for?

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It’s an exciting time
for design in the
U.S. Federal
government
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Recent policy and legislation changes have
made customer experience a focal point.

Section 280 of the Office of Management and 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act
Budget’s Circular A-11 (IDEA)

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Improving public
experiences
improves trust in
government
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We’re working with 25 federal programs to
improve the experience of federal services.
Department of Agriculture
U.S. Forest Service
Farm Service Agency
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Department of Commerce
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (Trademarks)
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (Patents)
Department of Education
Federal Student Aid
Department of Health & Human Services
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
(Health Insurance Marketplace)
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(Medicare)
Department of Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
Department of Homeland Security
Transportation Security Administration
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Citizenship and Immigration Services
Federal Emergency Management Authority
Department of Housing and Urban Development
FHA Single Family Loans and Resources Center
Department of Interior
Trust Beneficiary Call Center, Office of the Special
Trustee for American Indians
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Department of Labor
Occupational Safety & Health Administration
Office of Worker Compensation Programs
Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Benefits Administration
Office of Personnel and Management
Federal Employment Services
Retirement Services
Social Security Administration
Small Business Administration
Field Operations
Interagency Initiative
Recreation.gov (U.S. Forest Service, National Park
Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of
Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, National Archives)
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Irrespective of program or experience, what
must we as government designers consider?
People often come to
government during a
stressful time

Government People often

is a black box navigate
government
on behalf of
someone
Choice and
else
information
overload
leads to The confusing
paralysis part isn’t always
the website
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There’s a tension between separately funding
programs and supporting a holistic journey.
We must widen our field of view to
meaningfully transform government services.
FEDERAL PROGRAMS EVERYTHING ELSE
People experience life, not government.
What is it actually like to start a business?
How might we design for robust coordination
so that it’s impossible for people to fail?
We can’t just look within agency programs.
We have to look between them, too.

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How might we create better connections to
prevent people from falling through?
Better connections Better fit Better safety net

Falling through
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 We needed to prototype a new way of working.
Navigating self-employment Managing retirement Finding a job as a veteran

15M 48M 18M

Living with a disability Flying domestically

49M 632M/year
Working within,
between, and
outside agencies
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We started
with people,
then we
mapped the
programs
that support
them.

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We captured the stories of over 50 Veterans
and stakeholders to map the current state.

20 in-depth service member 18 stakeholder interviews 13 subject matter expert

interviews with key agencies interviews

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Service members primarily use Department
of Defense resources while in the military.

Department of Defense

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Service members engage with 5 key Federal
agencies during transition (TAP).
Transition Assistance
Department
Program (TAP)
of Labor

Department
of Defense Department of
Veterans Affairs

Small Business
Administration

Office of Personnel
Management

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Each service member takes unique path
during and after service.

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“
I thought a defense contractor would throw a
hundred thousand dollar job at me. I was quickly
disappointed. I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
The labor market is an unknown unknown.

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“
While I was active duty I did a lot of Googling. I
found a career building class offered at a church.
I was the only person who was active duty. The
others were unemployed and were sharing
stories about how hard it was to find work. I
thought, ‘wow, this is hard.’ Something clicked.

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“
It would be good to have someone who focuses
not just on employment but on you and your
whole life. Someone who helps you with decision
making.

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 The journey map has 6 key parts.

Journey steps Transition building blocks Transition barriers

Federal agency supports Perspective Findings & opportunities

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 Journey
steps

Building
blocks &
barriers

Current
federal
support

Findings &
Perspective opportunities

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Our insights pointed to new opportunity
spaces between individual programs.

Financial hardship may lead Programs offering career Commanders have an

Service members to take the
first job available, which has
ripple effects throughout a
career.
transition support for outsized influence on
Service members are offered whether Service members
in a moment of cognitive have the time, space, or
scarcity. acceptance to pursue their
personal career transition

Leaving the military can Veterans seeking

require a fundamental shift employment often get lost
in identity from teammate to in a sea of support.
individual.

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Design can be
uncomfortably
abstract and
concrete at the
same time. 29
New approaches can be tough for everyone.
We led with transparency and collaboration.

Feedback
Milestones

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New approaches can be tough for everyone.
We led with transparency and collaboration.

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We created tools to help future cross-agency
teams succeed more quickly.

Journey map Project report Workshop facilitator’s guide

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 We are converging on a handful of pilots by
aligning program and agency leads.

Providing Earlier support Living, Transform

Financial
“experience” & connection accessible job-matching
literacy &
perspective to to community transition software for
security
agencies resources resources veterans

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Practicing a new
way of working

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From stories to needs.

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From needs to opportunities.

Better connections Better fit Better safety net

Falling through
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Thank you!

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“
This lady helped me with my resume. She asked
me, ‘Who are you outside of being a soldier?’
That really woke me up. I had to figure it out.

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“
I wasn’t good at the job interviews. I came across
as aggressive; I thought I was just being
professional like a Marine. But being a Marine
and being a professional in the civilian world are
very different.

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“
There’s always going to be that 50% of soldiers
who didn’t come from great beginnings. It’s hard
for them to build networks. They need to learn
how to do that while they are still serving.

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