Joe Gebbia has expanded the team behind the U.S. National Design Studio, the Trump administration-backed initiative focused on improving the federal government’s online services, by appointing veteran designer Peter Arnell as the first U.S. chief brand architect.
Arnell Joins Government Design Initiative
Gebbia announced Arnell’s appointment during The Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything conference on Monday.
The National Design Studio includes software engineers and designers working on improving the usability and consistency of government digital platforms.
Arnell said his role is not to rebrand the United States itself, but to create a more unified and consistent online experience across government services in order to improve trust and usability for citizens interacting with federal systems.
Team Plans To Redesign Thousands Of Websites
Arnell said the initiative is responsible for redesigning approximately 27,000 government websites.
He explained that the project draws on the same design principles commonly used in consumer technology products and applications.
Gebbia compared the effort to Airbnb’s approach to simplifying vacation rentals and room bookings, describing the government project as an attempt to make complex administrative processes easier and more reliable for users.
Government Services Shift From Paper To Digital
Gebbia highlighted several projects already completed or underway through the initiative.
One redesign converted a paper-based government retirement process into a web-based system that can now be completed in minutes rather than months in some cases.
Another workflow prototype reduced a government process from 87 clicks to 12, with a target of lowering it further to 10 clicks.
The initiative is also focused on fixing broader usability problems across government websites, including confusing navigation systems and timed-out sessions that cause users to lose progress.
Design Team Focuses On Trust And Accessibility
Gebbia described many government websites as difficult for users to navigate and suggested that poor user experience discourages people from interacting with public services online.
Arnell said the goal is to establish consistency in design and functionality so users can move between government platforms more easily and predictably.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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