10 Years of the U.S. Digital Service: Transforming government for the digital age

As pubished on whitehouse.gov

The American public deserves a government that delivers services effectively and builds trust. In 2014, the United States Digital Service (USDS) was born. Initially formed as a crisis response team to tackle service delivery challenges, USDS has since evolved into a trusted partner for over 30 federal agencies – working directly with them to deliver superior services to the public and to build digital capabilities for the future.

USDS brings together interdisciplinary teams of top technologists – including engineers, data scientists, designers, user researchers, product managers, and procurement experts – who collaborate closely with agency experts to tackle important problems. This collaborative approach prioritizes human-centered engineering and design, focusing on iterative improvements to create user-friendly, reliable, and seamless digital services.

Over the past decade, USDS has made substantial strides and has achieved notable successes by addressing critical needs and laying the foundation for new possibilities:

• Supporting Agencies in their Mission to Serve the Public

  • Veterans Affairs (VA) Partnership: For over nine years, USDS has helped the VA improve its technology presence for veterans, increasing satisfaction and trust by over 20%. This includes building a new website, a highly-rated mobile app, and making continuous improvements across all core functions.

  • Social Security Administration (SSA) Transformation: USDS helped the SSA overhaul its website, making it more intuitive and accessible, leading to a 15% increase in customer satisfaction and a 10% rise in task completion rates. The SSA and USDS are now collaborating to revamp SSA call centers.

  • Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Direct File Pilot: Launched in 2024, this pilot provided a free, simple way for Americans to file taxes directly with the government. Over 140,000 Americans filed their taxes using Direct File, achieving a 90% customer satisfaction rate and enhancing trust in the IRS. The IRS will continue to partner with USDS as they seek to strengthen and improve their digital experiences.

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Pandemic Response: During the COVID pandemic, USDS worked with the CDC to create pandemic-ready data pipelines and systems, supporting local public health departments and building long-term public health data capabilities.

• Equipping Teams with the Skills for the 21st Century: USDS has brought more than 700 top-tier technologists into government, with over 100 continuing their service in permanent roles in agencies. With support from USDS, agencies are continuing to hire and train more competitive talent. In addition, the Office of Personnel Management partners with USDS on next-generation hiring policies across the federal government.
• Continued Crisis Response Support: USDS responds in times of need, whether it’s building emergency national data pipelines during the infant formula shortages or producing a website that enabled the delivery of 749M free COVID-19 tests, USDS is there during critical times.
• Advising on Policies for the Future: USDS consults on policies like Digital Experience, Accessibility, AI, and other important topics to improve the technical implementation and delivery of government services.

Each of these efforts is key to shaping the federal government’s delivery to the public. However, achieving this vision requires unwavering commitments to make these practices the norm rather than the exception:

• Centering the User: Everything the government does must center the user experience. This requires rethinking how programs are designed, monitored, and evaluated. This will call for building in a process for working with and testing with users early and often, and adjusting all facets of a program based on those findings.
• Scaling Capacity: More people with the right capabilities working across government are needed to achieve this mission. USDS is working with over 10 agencies to build their in-house digital service teams through hiring, teambuilding, and upskilling. However, significantly scaling capacity will also require new approaches across the entire government.
• Innovating Continuously: USDS is incorporating new technologies and methodologies to enhance service delivery, whether it’s piloting the responsible use of AI to help agencies become more data-driven and agile or modernizing outdated systems. Leaders across all branches of government must commit to driving change and tackling problems as they arise, even though it may be the more difficult path.
• Tackling Root Causes: Long term transformation requires systemic change. Policies and processes must evolve to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world.
• Building Trust: Trust is built through a consistent history of positive interactions between the government and its citizens. USDS is committed to fostering transparency and accountability across programs, so that the public can engage more effectively.

The accomplishments of the U.S. Digital Service over the past decade demonstrate that the government can and should meet the highest standards of digital excellence.

There is still much important work to do. Over the next decade, USDS will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, while working towards ensuring that a better government through technology and design become the norm. This will require even more strong, committed, entrepreneurial technologists and leaders to join and make it a reality. America deserves nothing less.

For more information on how to join the mission or collaborate with USDS, visit USDS Careers and AI.gov. Together, we can build a government that not only meets but exceeds the expectations of its people.