diff --git a/_posts/2018-07-12-the-case-for-open-source-software.md b/_posts/2018-07-12-the-case-for-open-source-software.md
index 940b001ec..1f2147939 100644
--- a/_posts/2018-07-12-the-case-for-open-source-software.md
+++ b/_posts/2018-07-12-the-case-for-open-source-software.md
@@ -22,10 +22,10 @@ computing (HPC) center to advance science and technology. Our software
developers produce millions of lines of code every year to support these
goals.
-
+
Our large collection of software is a precious Laboratory asset, one that benefits both Lawrence Livermore and other national laboratories, and in many cases, the public at large.
- Bruce Hendrickson, LLNL's Associate Director for Computation
-
+
With open source software [OSS], we are in control and can develop quickly and efficiently. It gives us the freedom to choose the best
computer hardware instead of being locked into one company’s hardware
solution. OSS is not for every organization, but for an organization
like LLNL, whose job is to build innovative solutions for national
security, OSS has been an essential tool.
- Terri Quinn, LLNL’s Advanced Simulation and Computing Program leader
-
+
[Livermore Computing] has contributed software and leadership to the
HPC community since before it was called HPC. Our developers consider
the broader ecosystem, not just particular tools. Our original
production tools for managing and using Linux clusters have been in
use since we stood up our very first clusters.
- Becky Springmeyer, LLNL’s Livermore Computing division leader
-
+
Open source software not only reduces barriers to collaboration and
helps reduce duplication of effort, but it helps establish the
reputation of individuals, organizations, and entire nations as
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ morale.
source solutions, and LLNL is major contributor to that ecosystem.
- Rob Neely, LLNL’s Exascale Computing Project software delivery and
ecosystem leader
-
+
Finding the right solution is a mixture of technology, policy, and operational factors. IARPA welcomes collaboration with GSA and others. Working together as a collective government team we are able to ensure effective, safe, and user friendly solutions for the American people.
- Dr. Chris Boehnen, Senior Program Manager, IARPA
-
+
“A cloud migration strategy should not be considered a question of who owns the computing resources, data, and facility, but rather can this solution improve service delivery to citizens. Evaluating specific capabilities of services, such as automatic scalability, is useful when evaluating solutions, rather than just considering if an application is “cloud” or not.”
- From Cloud First to Cloud Smart
-
+
Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.
- Etienne Wenger-Trayner and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
-
+
We engaged with 18F, and it was a game-changer for us. They came in and helped the IT team and business owners get involved in the agile development process. It changed our whole methodology. Now, it’s not just IT; it’s educating the entire staff on the agile methodology. Agile doesn’t just apply to IT, but also [to] business.
-
+
Selling permits just is part of the story. We are learning how to position the agency for the future.
-
+
Of 3,555 projects from 2003 to 2012 that had labor costs of at least $10 million, only 6.4% were successful. The Standish data showed that 52% of the large projects were “challenged,” meaning they were over budget, behind schedule or didn’t meet user expectations. The remaining 41.4% were failures — they were either abandoned or started anew from scratch.
-
+
Having a library of design components can sometimes give the impression that all the design work has been completed… Although patterns do help teams hesitate less and build things in shorter amounts of time, it is how and why a group of patterns and components are stitched together that results in great design.
-
+
Our experience with 18F has been unique, and uniquely effective. They have helped us learn agile development as members of our team. The daily standups have really helped us form a close working relationship with them. They have introduced us to new tools that I expect we will continue to use when our work with them is completed.
- Monica Windom, Director Division of Public Assistance, State of Alaska
-
+
It’s a mind-bending conversation when we can show that deploying changes to production can be done and tested within minutes rather than days or weeks. We’ve leveraged human-centered design and research to take a product from concept to reality – and now we’ve shipped, tested, and are continuing to refine the eAPD to meet user needs and deliver value early and often.
- Jerome Lee, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
-
+
Agencies are encouraged to update their .gov websites to the greatest extent practicable to provide agency service delivery information to Federal Government consumers and to direct Federal Government consumers to the appropriate digital and telephonic resources to obtain needed services.
- OMB Memorandum M-20-19: Harnessing Technology to Support Mission Continuity
-
+
We’ve leveraged human-centered design and research to take a product from concept to reality – and now we’ve shipped, tested, and are continuing to refine the eAPD to meet user needs and deliver value early and often. We aren’t done yet!
- CMS partner
-
+
It takes a lot less time because I’m not formatting a bunch of Word docs. Just not needing to do tables, saves at least a day’s worth of work.
- State end-user
-
+
It has increased my confidence and given me a reliable resource where I can know what I’m doing, and when I know what I’m doing, I can help the states. I love it!
- CMS State Officers
-
+
18F created a tool that filled a massive pothole we have been trying to address for years. Now, checking one’s eligibility is a snap due to this incredibly accessible calculator – which hundreds of Virginians use every week.
- A legal aid staff attorney in Virginia
-
+
Last fall we had a super big, clunky, swamp-of-a-problem, and a complicated charge to build trust in many directions. Today we are no longer in the muck; we have some promising tools for users, a committed vendor, and partners who are starting to count on us as much as we count on them. I hope you feel proud. I do. Thanks for bringing your superpowers to OHS.
- Our OHS partner
-
+
I never want to accept the status quo. How can we make anything better?
-
+
Get comfortable saying ‘no’
-
-
+
The 18F Methods site was my first impression of 18F. I was thrilled to learn more about the team within the federal government that is sharing user-centered design practices and putting everything out in the open for others to use. I wanted to be part of the organization that’s helping improve the user experience of government.
- Laura Ponce, UX Designer
-
-
+
I wanted to spend my days doing mission-driven work that would help people, and in 18F I saw a recognition that even though technology is often where problems manifest, it isn’t necessarily where those problems originate. I was super excited about how 18F uses technology as a forcing function to have powerful and human conversations about communication, transparency, equity, trust, etc. — all the things that make for a functioning team (or government) — and I was like ‘I gotta be part of this!’ Still feel lucky to be here.
- Mike Gintz, Change Strategist
-
-
+
I was drawn to 18F because I wanted to help make sure the government validates that the things it wants to create are the things that will help the public, by asking the public about it.
- Ben Peterson, UX Designer
-
-
+
There’s a lot of talk in the tech sector about ‘making the world a better place,’ but there are few arenas of social and civic life more capable of meaningful change than government. I work at 18F because successfully delivering on the mission, and at the scale of government, is crucial to the health and well-being of our democracy and our communities. And when you work at 18F, you get to work with some of the smartest, most dedicated public servants you’ll ever find.
- Ryan Johnson, Content Strategist
-
-
+
“I had worked in journalism and start-ups, mostly in the food space, but was craving something more, and felt a calling to be more civically engaged. I never really pictured myself working in government, but when I found out about 18F—wait, they have a team dedicated to making government services easier for people to use and understand?—I wanted to be a part of it, and have felt grateful to work with such a passionate, dedicated group of public servants ever since.”
- Erin Zimmer Strenio, Content Strategist
-
-
+
I wanted my design work to focus on increasing equity for people, and I’d seen 18F make government services more accessible and share their work so people could build off of it. I was drawn to 18F’s humility in the way they describe their work, and their deep commitment to user-centered design. Those impressions proved true: I found a place I really want to bring my energy.
- Julie Strothman, UX Designer
-
-
+
I had long wanted to work in public service in some way, but never thought there was a place for me in government. When I learned about 18F, I thought ‘Here’s my chance! A government organization that does real user-centered design and cares deeply about delivering for the American people.’ It’s a privilege to make government interactions easier for the public — and for public servants.
- Jeff Durland, Content Strategist
-
-
+
I’d been paying attention to 18F for a few years and saw a lot of parallels between the work in government and the digital transformation work I was part of inside a large health insurance company. I loved the idea of working directly with partners to teach and empower them to thrive on their own. I thought joining 18F would be a great opportunity to do the kind of work I was already doing, in a place where I could make some meaningful impact. I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of this team and to help improve the way technology helps America.
- Matt Dobson, UX Designer
-
-
+
I believe that design is impactful and can change people’s lives. So, I wanted to spend my time and use my skills to make services better for those who need it. I joined 18F because I believe in the work that’s done here.
- Jacklynn Pham, UX Designer
-
-
+
I wanted to join 18F because it was a place where I could work on improving the interface between the government and the public - to ease people’s access to public services, remove barriers and frustrations, and to increase trust in the government.”
- Igor Korenfeld, Product Designer
-
-
+
I enjoyed my work at past jobs, but at the end of the day I didn’t always feel that I was contributing to something I truly believed in. I wanted to join 18F because I felt confident that while the work might be hard (and it is!), I would know that it matters and I’d be doing it alongside incredible colleagues who are committed to making a difference.
- Julia Lindpaintner, Product Designer
-
-
+
“When two people, who are now my colleagues at 18F, excitedly told me about this organization, I was truly surprised that it existed in government. In my previous roles at other organizations, I was a lone content strategist, pushing teams to communicate in innovative ways for better impact. I joined 18F to be a part of a supportive group of content and UX professionals who are committed to doing the same within government for greater social impact.”
- Malaika Carpenter, Content Strategist
-
-
+
I came to 18F from another agency. I was looking for a mission-driven organization where I could learn, grow, and contribute to making government work better for everyone. I am so grateful to be working alongside the smart, kind, and curious people of 18F!
- Michelle Rago, Content Strategist
-
+
I read the The Color of Law when it was first published. Between that book and my formative experience as a technologist in rural parts of the country, I developed a better lens for the divergence in experiences many people have with government. It motivated me to leverage my skills to design impact at scale. I don’t have any illusions that I alone can remedy decades of harm and distrust, but I believe we have an obligation to use the tools we have at our disposal to improve systems and services rapidly.
- Ron Bronson, Content Strategist
-
-
+
I care deeply about making information easier for the public to understand, access, and use to make decisions. I was working toward those aims as a journalist and a technologist when I learned about 18F. I had no idea that there was a government agency working on that as well! I joined 18F to help build public access and understanding so that the government can move closer to the ideal state – serving its entire public well.
- Princess Ojiaku, Content Strategist
-
-
+
I joined 18F back in 2016 after searching for a way to combine my visual design skills with human-centered design—something that most design agencies, even those which are focused on doing good, didn’t make space for or prioritize at the time. While I had succeeded in using design to help political and social/environmental campaigns and organizations, I wanted a more hands-on role in channeling the needs of the people—facilitating the whole process, instead of only making it look nice at the end. I found that and so much more at 18F, getting to work on projects with impact I couldn’t even imagine at the time.
- Aviva Oskow, Product Designer
-
-
+
I joined 18F because I came to a fork in my long career in the private sector: Should I use my design and research experience to increase profits for shareholders, or should I try to address inequities in access to government services? It wasn’t a difficult choice. Projects I’ve worked on are used by millions of people and decisions we’ve made can drastically change outcomes for the public. Big structural change is slow, but I am here to serve as an advocate for my community and make sure people who are impacted by problems are included in the solutions.
- Austin Hernandez, Product Designer
-
-
+
I started working in government tech in 2016 and quickly became a fan of 18F from a distance. Government tech should (and can) be inclusive and easy to use. In 2020, I made the leap because I wanted to work on projects that affected programs that served the public more directly. I was also drawn to 18F’s warm people, structure, culture of empathy, inclusiveness, and growth.
- Dave Luetger, UX Designer
-
-
+
I joined 18F because 18F has an incredible, practical model of change: here, you can design with the public at scale to make their interactions with government easier for everyone, working alongside civil servants throughout the rest of government at all levels. The proportion and impact is immense, the timeline is both finite and generational, and while it can feel like an uphill climb, you can also see the progress you’re helping to make.
- Anne Petersen, UX Designer
-
+
After a start in higher education and a detour into software engineering for the private sector, I wanted to get back to serving people. 18F is a great place to use the skills I had developed to make people’s lives better.
- Neil Martinsen-Burrell, Consulting Engineer
-
-
+
As I progressed in my engineering career, I became less motivated by solving purely technical problems and more motivated by greater missions and values. I wanted to work on problems worth solving, even if they’re harder and need solutions that engineering alone can’t provide
- Eleni Chappen, Consulting Engineer
-
-
+
After spending years working in the tech industry, I was at a crossroads trying to find a way to use the privileges afforded to me to help others. At about that time, I came across a bug in analytics.usa.gov and, noticing it was open source, I fixed the bug and it was patched in production within a few hours. What if all of government technology was like this? Now that was something I wanted to be a part of.
- Andrew Dunkman, Consulting Engineer
-
-
+
I spent two decades as an educator. The work of an educator is a service paid forward to the next generation. It is the work of systemic change, one generation at a time. At 18F, our collaborations with colleagues across the federal government are the much needed systemic change for the people of this generation and the next. I'll get up and give my best self every day for that.
- Matt Jadud, Consulting Engineer
-
-
+
I always wanted to join the public sector but thought that if I did I would have to trade in my skills in modern software development for meaningful work. When I heard about 18F it sounded like a unicorn: a mission-driven organization that does meaningful work on difficult problems while using and advocating for agile and user-centered development
- Carly Jugler, Consulting Engineer
-
-
+
While working on a Puerto Rico Department of Education project, I came across 18F and USDS. Their mission to create better technology services for the government inspired me and my team to create the new School Report Card for the island. Since then I followed the organization, and at the beginning of 2020 I found out that 18F was looking for engineers. Without thinking twice, I submitted my resume. Just meeting 18F team members during the interview process was enriching for me. I'm still surprised that I can contribute to improving the federal government and be part of this awesome team while living in Puerto Rico.
- Edwin Torres, Consulting Engineer
-
-
+
I worked in the private sector for many years, and quite honestly, I was not planning on working in the federal government. I interviewed with 18F on a whim and I'm so happy I did. I was struck during the interview by 18F's long-standing and clear commitment to cultural values, open source, public service, and its mission to transform digital work for the benefit of everyone in the United States. It has been a genuine joy to work with passionate and driven people and attempt to solve difficult problems in government collectively.
- James Tranovich, Consulting Engineer
-
-
+
I had been working at a series of startups with increasing societal impact, but felt like I could be doing more. The combination of teaching new processes and improving technology that 18F practices is the perfect match for me, and you can’t beat this opportunity to make a difference
- Ryan Ahearn, Consulting Engineer
-
-
+
I wanted to help build systems that solve sticky issues, at scale, for the common good.
- Ryan Hofschneider, Consulting Engineer
-
-
+
Before 18F, I worked in and with local governments. I saw how approaches like human-centered design and working in the open could help us serve our public. I looked up to 18F as a part of government doing terrific work and writing on these topics. At the time that I applied to 18F, I was freelancing, and although I had wonderful clients, my health insurance options weren’t matching my healthcare needs. I applied to 18F as a job that would let me serve the public, while also offering the health insurance I needed. Since joining, I have been lucky enough to work on projects related to healthcare access, as well as transportation and public benefits.
- Alex Soble, Consulting Engineer
-
+
Prior to 18F, I was a federal civil servant in another agency, happily building products to (hopefully) make disaster response better for the people we serve. 18F was attractive to me as a software development shop using all the “modern” techniques and tools. 18F has actually been a place full of passionate public servants using a broad range of well-established practices and tools to help other agencies adopt good, successful software development practices, and it’s been a hugely rewarding experience to work here.
- Greg Walker, Consulting Engineer
-
-
+
Mine is extremely selfish TBH. Early in my product career, I kept stumbling across 18F articles that clearly articulated definitions and methods for building technology. From then on my excitement continued and my admiration grew. 18F became my north star, knowing this is where I could learn how to be an amazing product manager.
- Colin Murphy, Product Manager
-
-
+
My background is in journalism, so I’ve always valued work that is driven by informing and supporting the public. 18F’s agile-based model of partnering with lots of different agencies is also fun because you get to become a mini-expert as you work with new people and problems. The timing was important for me too: I joined in summer 2020, when moving toward public service felt particularly meaningful in a difficult year. I’m so proud to be at 18F!
- Emily Theis, Product Manager
-
-
+
In the private sector, I worked to solve problems that just didn't feel like real problems (e.g. optimizing products to get another 0.01% of clicks), and it was starting to wear on me. I saw President Obama's keynote interview at SXSW Interactive in 2017, where he emphasized how solvable many real challenges are with technology. Obama encouraged SXSW attendees to consider applying their private sector experience to public service. I felt like he was speaking directly to me! And he was right, since joining 18F, I have been able to focus on working with agency partners to impact how the public engages with government digital products and services. The problems are real, they're worth solving, and it's a privilege to get to do this work every day.
- Allison Norman, Product Manager
-
-
+
I’ve worked in service organizations for my whole career but I assumed the government, especially the federal government, was too monolithic and staid for me to grow or contribute. But when a friend pointed me to an 18F job posting, I was drawn in by the exciting language of human-centered design, open source, and product thinking. I’m so grateful to be in this community of diverse, talented, and driven changemakers who widen the cracks in the monolith to let the light in.
- Selena Juneau-Vogel, Product Manager
-
-
+
I’ve been a public servant for most of my career, though not always a technologist. When I was asked to help build out the Innovation Office for the City of Oakland, I learned 80% of what I knew by reading 18F’s guides and playbooks. I was blown away, became a huge fan of 18F and its values, and aspired to one day have the opportunity to serve the organization (and maybe even become a playbook-writer myself!). Perhaps it comes as no surprise then that I chose my birthday as the date on which to take the oath of office and start my first day on this dream job.
- Ayushi Roy, Product Manager
-
-
+
I’ve spent much of my career bouncing between nonprofits and the private sector. Despite living and working in D.C. for nearly a decade, I never worked in the federal government. I became a fan of 18F shortly after relocating to the west coast and in 2019 I arrived at a professional crossroads, and decided to redirect my energies towards public service. When I saw a job posting for an 18F product manager role in March 2020, I took it as a sign. Each day since I took my oath of office later that summer, I’ve been humbled by the brilliance and dedication of everyone in this organization.
- Patrick Kigongo, Product Manager
-
+
Joining 18F was a chance to apply my whole self to things that really matter — to unapologetically frame problems like a designer and solutions like an engineer, to be an individual contributor who occasionally gets lost in the big picture, to tackle challenges that come at me sideways.
- Nikki Lee, Product Manager
-
-
+
I think there are many levers one can pull to make a meaningful contribution to society, but working in government has afforded me access to what feels like one of the most direct levers. It also helps that 18F is working on such exciting projects, and bringing proven human-centered and iterative processes to the work.
- Hannah Kane, Account Manager
-
-
+
After spending most of my career in the private sector (advertising and tech), it became clear to me that the user’s experience is everything. A customer’s only interaction with a brand may be through a website or an app, and great user experiences are an opportunity to secure customer loyalty and trust. To me, improving the user experience of government is the same idea. We have an opportunity to build trust and deliver for the American people - to solve problems that truly matter. I wanted to contribute.
- Glenn Grieves, Account Manager
-
-
+
The magnitude of the problem 18F is trying to help solve. This problem won’t be solved in a generation, and I like challenges.
- Alan Brouilette, Chief of Staff
-
-
+
When I joined 18F, I had been in the federal acquisition field for over 10 years and I knew that the government’s traditional way of buying software was not working but I couldn’t figure out why. When I learned about 18F and its tech procurement innovations, I just knew I had to be a part of such a dedicated and passionate team that not only wants to help agencies provide better digital services but also strives to make procurement joyful! I am very proud of the work we do at 18F and our commitment to serve the public.
- Miatta Myers, Acquisition Lead
-
+
I was a contracting officer for about 15 years before joining 18F. I was growing frustrated by the status quo and was interested in the idea of experimenting with new approaches to contracting for IT services. I also wanted to learn more about the digital services I was buying on behalf of my customers, and thought 18F would help me become a better buyer. It’s been a great experience and I love being able to work with other contracting officers that have similar interests in improving the nature of procurement. I’ve found the vast majority of procurement folks we’ve worked with are excited about the prospect of trying new approaches, and it’s led to better outcomes and helped expand the marketplace.
- Randy Hart, Acquisition Lead
-
+
Once I hit that button, it’s a done deal? That’s cool.
- Calendar clerk, U.S. Tax Court
-
+
I’m now able to draft orders on my tablet from the comfort of my leather recliner.
- Judge, U.S. Tax Court
-
+
[The] TTS handbook is really, really awesome. I can't think of another organization I've been with that has such comprehensive, easy to use documentation… the handbook empowers a culture of openness, collaboration, and transparency, like we're all working together towards a common good.
- TTS Contractor
-
+
I’m grateful for the diversity of working styles I’ve observed at 18F, which has allowed me to grow professionally. What I found most important is really making space for others—in actions, not just words. Make room for others in meetings, presentations, and The Work. Even though I’m naturally on the quiet side, my teammates were full of encouragement and trust to let me actually put into practice skills I learned. I’m so much better for it and now I’m working on paying it forward and making room for others.
– Jacklynn Pham, UX designer (now alum)
-
+
It’s natural to check in about how the project tasks are going but what about the people —how are they actually doing and feeling? I learned about this thoughtful exercise from my project teammate Jacklynn Pham, which helps to check in on the well-being of the people moving the project forward.
Each person on the team independently answers a set of questions and then shares and discusses their answers with the rest of the team:
@@ -52,18 +52,18 @@ Each person on the team independently answers a set of questions and then shares
This is an opportunity to deepen working relationships and give people a chance to discuss how to adjust the way they work to support the strengths, energy levels, and growth opportunities of everyone on the team.
– Malaika Carpenter, Content strategist
-
+
Ask questions like, “what do you want to get out of this meeting?” or “what do we want to accomplish in our time together?” to elicit the team’s response, and ask yourself, _‘How do we want them to feel at the end of this meeting?’_ This builds trust and empowerment. Doing self-reflection first and sharing it later with others helps people talk about their “feels,” which can otherwise be hard to say out loud.
– Malaika Carpenter, Content strategist
-
+
Meetings can be a great way to collaborate, get the team aligned, and just check in and chat with coworkers, but do you ever look at your calendar and get scared? _Help help help, meeting overload._ (Me, too.) It’s important to preserve some uninterrupted time to find a focus flow and make progress on tasks. Feeling productive is not only good for your work, it also contributes to daily joy, motivation, and a sense of progress.
Fellow 18F content designers Malaika Carpenter and Amanda Costello had both mentioned to me at various points, “try doing a meeting audit.” This means: list out all your meetings and ask yourself a few questions about each meeting to make sure they’re still a good use of everyone’s time, and restructure them or even consider dropping them if they’re not.
@@ -75,21 +75,21 @@ Fellow 18F content designers Malaika Carpenter and Amanda Costello had both ment
You can do this solo or as a team. My project team ran this exercise after about nine months of working together (so we had plenty of time to judge whether our regular meetings were best serving us) and it was really helpful. We dropped a weekly meeting that was no longer necessary, made one shorter, made one optional for certain folks, and it magically freed up longer focus blocks for our whole team. We even considered a no-meetings Friday to really maximize focus time.
– Erin Zimmer Strenio, Content strategist
-
+
Our teams are cross-functional by design. Everybody and their perspective matters to the success of the team. Clear communication and regular feedback are vital to make sure we stay in sync as a team.
– Ben Peterson, UX designer
-
+
I learned from fellow UX designer Melissa Braxton how to foster relationships and how to over-communicate. This means regular 1:1s with teammates but also research session debriefs, weekly ships, biweekly retros, and regular project health checks (we do them biweekly for all 18F projects as a quick 5-minute form to flag any issues). We’ve documented many of these practices in the [TTS Handbook](https://handbook.tts.gsa.gov/general-information-and-resources/how-we-collaborate/). I also came to understand that our work isn’t going away. It’s a relay race: take it as far as you can but be ready to pass the baton to the next person.
– Mark Trammell, UX designer
-
+
We have a big design team at 18F, and we get to see how different people approach a problem. I’m grateful for getting to see so many ways of working, especially around facilitation. Our job is _facilitation_ not production; facilitation gets you to production. At 18F I’ve learned how we can bring our partners and their users into the design process and share that design responsibility. That’s the real work.
– Christine Bath, Product designer
-
+
I learned the importance of making people feel comfortable before user interviews from fellow UX designer Melissa Braxton. We want people to feel comfortable so that they’ll speak candidly about their experiences. We rely on their candor and openness in order to properly assess and address their challenges and needs so we can offer the appropriate solutions.
– Qituwra Anderson, UX designer
-
+
I picked up some workshop facilitation tips from fellow UX designer Ben Peterson. One tip is to start with an icebreaker. It’s a low pressure way to get everyone in the room working together. Another tip is to have guidelines and rules visible throughout the workshop. Bring a few of your own and ask folks at the beginning of the workshop if they have any to add to the list. Here are a couple of examples: share all of your ideas, speak up if you don’t agree, no one leaves the room unhappy with the outcome/direction.
– Qituwra Anderson, UX designer
-
+
I’ve learned how to model facilitation during user interviews; how to stay engaged with the conversation and how to be impartial without appearing impersonal or disinterested. I give verbal cues, ask follow-up questions, and reflect back what I heard from participants. The goal is to make participants feel heard and to communicate that we truly value their time and the experiences they share with us.
– Igor Korenfeld, Product designer
-
+
Fostering a safe space lets us check our ego and ask questions that help us learn and grow. To be truly human centered in your work requires being curious and open. Read more about [our partnership principles](https://18f.gsa.gov/partnership-principles/) and collaboration approaches to help your project succeed.
– Ben Peterson, UX designer
-
+
Power does not come from being the only one who knows. Be enthusiastic about sharing and showing—this is such a big part of the 18F culture. When there's something you don't know and want to learn, or when you ask for help understanding something, our colleagues are generally happy to teach you, share their knowledge, and show you how it's done.
– Melissa Braxton, UX designer
-
+
Many of my colleagues at 18F have demonstrated to me (and our partners) that there’s power, humility, and equity within not knowing something. User-centered design fundamentally depends upon a designer constantly acknowledging and re-acknowledging what they don’t know, and using their expertise to ask better questions, not to assume answers. A strong team values ‘knowing the answer’ less and ‘learning the answer’ more.
– Mike Gintz, Designer
-
+
At 18F, leadership roles are framed not as positions to ascend to once you have attained a certain level of expertise, but rather as opportunities to serve your colleagues, support the organization, and grow as an individual. I’ve learned so much from my colleagues in the Design Chapter as they exemplify the principles of servant leadership: using their positions to empower others, foster inclusion and cohesion, and support their teams in achieving their goals.
– Julia Lindpaintner, UX designer
-
+
As a UX designer, it’s easy to go into projects looking for new things to design. During my time at 18F, I’ve learned how to approach the work from a consulting mindset which has helped me to recognize hidden opportunities. For example, on some partner-facing projects it may be most effective to do a deep dive into their organization and power structure, or investigate who owns which technologies and why. Rather than designing a new system, sometimes the best solutions for our partners have to do with connecting two separated teams and making introductions or simply helping them document an internal process. To me, thinking like a consultant means focusing on what’s going to be the most impactful to our partners.
– Laura Poncé, UX designer
-
+
While working on an [affinity mapping](https://methods.18f.gov/decide/affinity-mapping/) exercise in person with one of my project partners, I learned that there’s a trick to getting sticky notes to stay on the wall. The best way to use them is to peel a new note from side-to-side off of the stack instead of from bottom-to-top. It’ll lay flat on the wall and won’t fall off as easily!
– Laura Poncé, UX designer
-
+
When I started working on a project with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the White House, they introduced me to [The Reg Map (informal rulemaking)](https://www.reginfo.gov/public/reginfo/Regmap/regmap.pdf) that outlines the rulemaking process. I’d learned how a bill becomes a law in high school civics class, but I was in the dark about rulemaking (how a law becomes policy). The nine step multi-level diagram made my head spin at first, but it was a great tool to help me learn key concepts quickly and, most importantly, ask better questions of the subject-matter experts I was working with at OMB.
Government is complex because its work is complex, but even complex processes can be clear. Sometimes this means stating that a process is complex—nobody may have ever acknowledged that in plain language before! We have the opportunity to bring this clarity to so many areas of the government, and I think that’s more exciting than intimidating.
– Amanda Costello, Content strategist
-
+
I learned from 18F designer/researcher alum Colin MacArthur and our Chief of Staff Alan Brouilette the value of working in the open. This shared [synthesis of usability testing on Github](https://github.com/USDAForestService/fs-open-forest/wiki/Usability-Testing-Special-Uses-(Non-Commercial-and-Outfitters-modules)) with login.gov is so broadly helpful. I reference it when speaking at conferences, and to a ton of potential new colleagues when having virtual caffeines (informal video chats) with people interested in working here. Early on, when I would ask a question via direct message, I got redirected to ask it in an open channel so others could also benefit. And I often go back and reference those answers to others.
– Anne Petersen, Designer
-
+
I learned from fellow designer Mark Trammell that the Forest Service has 9 regions numbered 1 through 10 (7 is missing: [here’s why](https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r9/learning/history-culture/?c#:~:text=In%20response%20to%20the%20span,among%20Regions%208%20and%209.).) It’s a huge way to do research closer to home, in ‘ride-alongs’ or contextual inquiry: what do customer service folks have posted up on their monitors that they reference often? Regional Town Halls at GSA are also a huge way to have a bigger impact, demonstrate what we do, spread the word.
– Anne Petersen, Designer
-
+
Ideas rarely succeed based purely on their own inherent value—this concept of ripeness I learned from former 18F strategist Ed Mullen. Even the best, most revolutionary, creative idea needs an appropriate environment in which to take root and flourish. Is the time right for this idea? Is the climate right? Are people ready? If not, what should we do instead, rather than bashing our idea into a wall over and over again? Should we divert some/more/all of our energy towards designing the environment rather than the idea?
– Mike Gintz, Designer
-
+
Every week we think of new opportunities to bring to the system - it’s been great to be able to think outside the box.
– Stephanie Servoss, Clerk of the Court
-
+
Designing the contract and the system the way we did — for OFA to have control and input and be so involved in the development — I think it facilitates the ability to be responsive. It’s just 180 degrees from our past experience. It's so refreshing.
–Lauren Frohlich, Product Owner for the TANF Data Portal
-
+
Getting feedback from real users is critical to building the right thing. By creating a customer panel, we’ve been able to hear from users shortly after they complete their first use of our product, and that’s produced some really useful insights as we build new features.
–Cameron Dixon, CISA
-
+
18F recommendation: “All software development should be [centered on the needs of the software's actual end users](https://guides.18f.gov/derisking/federal-field-guide/basic-principles/#user-centered-design), the specific people who are expected to use it."
-
+
18F recommendation: “Instead of relying on years of costly planning and ‘requirements gathering’ before beginning to write actual software, [agile development projects](https://guides.18f.gov/derisking/federal-field-guide/basic-principles/#agile-software-development) are planned only in broad strokes, with a well defined description of the overall project goal and a strong preference for just getting started…By coupling agile with user-centered design, a development team can constantly iterate toward solving the needs of end users in ways that would have been impossible to learn about up front.”
-
+
18F recommendation: “The [product owner is the key person](https://guides.18f.gov/derisking/federal-field-guide/basic-principles/#product-ownership) for any software project, and must be a government employee…A strong product owner ensures that the vision is clear, the strategy is clear, there is space for teams building the software to learn, and that they are building or buying the right thing to incrementally show value to users.”
-
+
18F recommendation: “Under [DevOps](https://guides.18f.gov/derisking/federal-field-guide/basic-principles/#devops), testing software quality is automatic, testing software security is automatic, merging multiple developers' work is automatic, and moving completed software to servers is automatic.”
-
+
18F recommendation: “In this model, each component communicates with other components through [simple, modular standards](https://guides.18f.gov/derisking/federal-field-guide/basic-principles/#building-with-loosely-coupled-parts), so that any one piece can be swapped out at any time.”
-
+
18F recommendation: “With the [agile contract template](https://guides.18f.gov/derisking/federal-field-guide/deciding-what-to-buy/#use-the-agile-contract-format-to-procure-agile-software-development-services)…agencies should procure developers' time, as prioritized by the government product owner through an agile cadence. Any contract must secure sufficient data rights for the agency in the work product or result of the development effort based on their mission needs.”
-
+
The new [FEC.gov] will save FEC approximately $1.2 million annually, reducing spend on internal systems the agency will retire once all the content can be moved over. I don’t have to buy servers anymore.
- Alec Palmer, FEC’s Chief Information Officer on hosting the new FEC.gov on cloud.gov
-
+
Our small digital team at the Office of Natural Resources Revenue continues the work of user-centered and open-data design started by 18F.
- Digital team at the Office of Natural Resources Revenue
-
+
18F has helped us [something built] that lead to [insert impact]
- [name], [position], [agency]
-
The day [platform] launched, [x-number]organizations were already using the data and API to enhance existing tools or build new products to better serve their customers.