Read this part twice, "in order to identify issues and THEN address them." Seek to understand and then to solve. Also...processes can be tested; communications can be tested. Not everything is/or requires a tech solution.
#citizenexperience#equity#efficiency#bpr
Product leader with a proven track record in solving complex problems in high risk environments. Experience building impactful products that scale and creating user-centric, delightful experiences for millions.
Sharing something that I’m very proud to say I worked on.
Today, The White House released guidance encouraging agencies to do usability testing to understand how people interact with paper and digital forms, websites, or other services in order to identify issues and then address them.
https://lnkd.in/enf262Qw
“The primary purpose of the PRA is to minimize paperwork burdens for individuals—especially those who are vulnerable or disadvantaged—and to ensure the greatest possible public benefit from the information collected. Usability testing is a key tool that helps agencies fulfill the PRA’s primary purpose.
In today’s guidance, OIRA clarifies that usability testing can often be conducted without the need for PRA clearance. It is important for agencies to understand that, in many cases, they are free to engage in usability testing, with any number of participants, without OIRA clearance.”
This is huge!
And the best part, we did usability testing on the memo to inform the final draft and make sure it was easy to understand and useful. ✨
Kudos to OIRA and the many folks that helped with this including Rita Young, Michael McManus, Sam Berger, and Laura Chang!
Marketing Head @Savy Click | Marketing Analytics Specialist | Certified Advanced Digital Marketer from MICA | Operations Management | Top Digital Marketing Voice
Nerd Alert for my fed friends: OMB just issued guidance on the Paperwork Reduction Act that should make usability testing for forms, websites, and services less burdensome and faster. The more I work on tech issues in government, the more I realize the importance of user feedback and customer experience. It is the key to making a true impact and progress on goals. #tech#pra#forms#websites#cx#ux#alsoanerd
Product leader with a proven track record in solving complex problems in high risk environments. Experience building impactful products that scale and creating user-centric, delightful experiences for millions.
Sharing something that I’m very proud to say I worked on.
Today, The White House released guidance encouraging agencies to do usability testing to understand how people interact with paper and digital forms, websites, or other services in order to identify issues and then address them.
https://lnkd.in/enf262Qw
“The primary purpose of the PRA is to minimize paperwork burdens for individuals—especially those who are vulnerable or disadvantaged—and to ensure the greatest possible public benefit from the information collected. Usability testing is a key tool that helps agencies fulfill the PRA’s primary purpose.
In today’s guidance, OIRA clarifies that usability testing can often be conducted without the need for PRA clearance. It is important for agencies to understand that, in many cases, they are free to engage in usability testing, with any number of participants, without OIRA clearance.”
This is huge!
And the best part, we did usability testing on the memo to inform the final draft and make sure it was easy to understand and useful. ✨
Kudos to OIRA and the many folks that helped with this including Rita Young, Michael McManus, Sam Berger, and Laura Chang!
Product leader with a proven track record in solving complex problems in high risk environments. Experience building impactful products that scale and creating user-centric, delightful experiences for millions.
Sharing something that I’m very proud to say I worked on.
Today, The White House released guidance encouraging agencies to do usability testing to understand how people interact with paper and digital forms, websites, or other services in order to identify issues and then address them.
https://lnkd.in/enf262Qw
“The primary purpose of the PRA is to minimize paperwork burdens for individuals—especially those who are vulnerable or disadvantaged—and to ensure the greatest possible public benefit from the information collected. Usability testing is a key tool that helps agencies fulfill the PRA’s primary purpose.
In today’s guidance, OIRA clarifies that usability testing can often be conducted without the need for PRA clearance. It is important for agencies to understand that, in many cases, they are free to engage in usability testing, with any number of participants, without OIRA clearance.”
This is huge!
And the best part, we did usability testing on the memo to inform the final draft and make sure it was easy to understand and useful. ✨
Kudos to OIRA and the many folks that helped with this including Rita Young, Michael McManus, Sam Berger, and Laura Chang!
In the details, there are small levers, that when pulled can unlock huge amounts of value. This is a great example of exactly this important work that policy makers all too often overlook.
Product leader with a proven track record in solving complex problems in high risk environments. Experience building impactful products that scale and creating user-centric, delightful experiences for millions.
Sharing something that I’m very proud to say I worked on.
Today, The White House released guidance encouraging agencies to do usability testing to understand how people interact with paper and digital forms, websites, or other services in order to identify issues and then address them.
https://lnkd.in/enf262Qw
“The primary purpose of the PRA is to minimize paperwork burdens for individuals—especially those who are vulnerable or disadvantaged—and to ensure the greatest possible public benefit from the information collected. Usability testing is a key tool that helps agencies fulfill the PRA’s primary purpose.
In today’s guidance, OIRA clarifies that usability testing can often be conducted without the need for PRA clearance. It is important for agencies to understand that, in many cases, they are free to engage in usability testing, with any number of participants, without OIRA clearance.”
This is huge!
And the best part, we did usability testing on the memo to inform the final draft and make sure it was easy to understand and useful. ✨
Kudos to OIRA and the many folks that helped with this including Rita Young, Michael McManus, Sam Berger, and Laura Chang!
This is a big deal. For a very long time, many service designers in government have been told that user research, particularly usability testing, required review under the Paperwork Reduction Act. This was never really true, exactly, but because it has been unclear to agency PRA officers and others, it has meant that teams in government often don't test forms and websites to understand how their users experience them because the process to get clearance to do so would take too long. So they don't things like: Do users understand the questions? Do they have the data or documentation they're being asked for? Which questions should go first, and which later? Does this question even need to be asked at all, or right now? How can government service designers make this easier on the public and businesses?
But now OIRA has issued guidance making it clear that usability testing does not need review by their office. The guidance is written plain language and uses clear examples. Service designers need to download this guidance and have it handy. This should clear up any confusion with their agency PRA officers. It will save enormous amounts of time and result in less burdensome, easier to use government forms and websites.
The best part about this, IMHO, is that OIRA further clarifies that when government staff learn something through this testing and research, they should simply act on it. Read it for yourself:
***
Part II: Incorporating Improvements Based on Usability
Testing Usability testing is designed to identify issues with—and potential improvements to— new or existing paper or digital forms, websites, or services. When standing up a new program, form, or online system, agencies can incorporate any pre-launch usability feedback during its creation and initial PRA approval. If feedback about an existing paper or digital form identifies potential improvements, OIRA encourages agencies to quickly incorporate those changes. If left unaddressed, these issues can significantly decrease the usefulness of the product, unnecessarily burdening the public or the agency.
***
Hats off to the teams at OIRA and USDS who made this happen. Particular shout outs to Sam Berger, whose deep concern about this issue and championship of it has been evident for over a year, and to Natalie Moore, a genius of usability testing. I know that there are many more who made this happen who I don't personally know, and Natalie thanks Rita Young, Michael McManus, and Laura Chang.
Also, thank you to Ezra Klein for asking me about this when I did his show over a year ago. It was the last thing I thought a podcast host would pick up on, just a few paragraphs in my book, but that episode helped spark some very meaningful conversations.
Product leader with a proven track record in solving complex problems in high risk environments. Experience building impactful products that scale and creating user-centric, delightful experiences for millions.
Sharing something that I’m very proud to say I worked on.
Today, The White House released guidance encouraging agencies to do usability testing to understand how people interact with paper and digital forms, websites, or other services in order to identify issues and then address them.
https://lnkd.in/enf262Qw
“The primary purpose of the PRA is to minimize paperwork burdens for individuals—especially those who are vulnerable or disadvantaged—and to ensure the greatest possible public benefit from the information collected. Usability testing is a key tool that helps agencies fulfill the PRA’s primary purpose.
In today’s guidance, OIRA clarifies that usability testing can often be conducted without the need for PRA clearance. It is important for agencies to understand that, in many cases, they are free to engage in usability testing, with any number of participants, without OIRA clearance.”
This is huge!
And the best part, we did usability testing on the memo to inform the final draft and make sure it was easy to understand and useful. ✨
Kudos to OIRA and the many folks that helped with this including Rita Young, Michael McManus, Sam Berger, and Laura Chang!
The White House's recent guidance encouraging agencies to conduct usability testing on forms may seem like a small step, but it’s a transformative one. Designing with the end-user in mind—whether it’s a form, website, or product—is at the heart of creating solutions that truly work. Embracing design thinking in government can make services more accessible, efficient, and human-centered.
#DesignThinking#UserExperience#GovernmentInnovation#HumanCenteredDesign#PublicSectorTransformation
Product leader with a proven track record in solving complex problems in high risk environments. Experience building impactful products that scale and creating user-centric, delightful experiences for millions.
Sharing something that I’m very proud to say I worked on.
Today, The White House released guidance encouraging agencies to do usability testing to understand how people interact with paper and digital forms, websites, or other services in order to identify issues and then address them.
https://lnkd.in/enf262Qw
“The primary purpose of the PRA is to minimize paperwork burdens for individuals—especially those who are vulnerable or disadvantaged—and to ensure the greatest possible public benefit from the information collected. Usability testing is a key tool that helps agencies fulfill the PRA’s primary purpose.
In today’s guidance, OIRA clarifies that usability testing can often be conducted without the need for PRA clearance. It is important for agencies to understand that, in many cases, they are free to engage in usability testing, with any number of participants, without OIRA clearance.”
This is huge!
And the best part, we did usability testing on the memo to inform the final draft and make sure it was easy to understand and useful. ✨
Kudos to OIRA and the many folks that helped with this including Rita Young, Michael McManus, Sam Berger, and Laura Chang!
For years, I thought the only way to find usability issues was by running full-scale user tests. We’d spend countless hours bringing users through our products, and while we gained valuable insights, we also wasted time and money on usability issues our team could have spotted much earlier.
That’s when I discovered expert reviews like heuristic evaluations. With a clear checklist and a trained eye, you can catch those obvious usability issues upfront — saving time and resources. This frees up user testing to focus on the deeper, nuanced feedback you need to make sure your product works in the real world for your user.
If you want to streamline your process and make better use of your team's valuable research time, this class will show you exactly how to do it. Sign up today and share your rockstar 🎸 knowledge with your entire department or sign up as a team and enjoy a 20% discount!
Have a great week and I can't wait to see you in the class!
Sign Up Here 👇
https://lnkd.in/ecxsNhqA
Going from zero to compliance has never been easier. 🚀
We're excited to announce new usability enhancements that make Vanta the best tool for growing businesses to get compliant quickly and easily.
Here's what you can do with our latest enhancements:
📝 Create and adopt policies faster with our new policy builder
✅ Streamline background checks directly in Vanta
🖥️ Easily navigate the Vanta platform with our new and improved user experience
🦙 And more
Watch our video to see all the updates or read more on our blog (link in comments)!
Vanta gets startups.
Yes that means making the first SOC 2 process easier, but it also means leveling the playing field so that startups can compete in deals they wouldn't otherwise be able to enter.
And it means helping companies set a security foundation from day 1.
I'm excited for this set of functionality which makes our promise to startups of "easier compliance" even easier-er.
And, of course, I love any video featuring Natalie Hurd aka Nataloom.
Going from zero to compliance has never been easier. 🚀
We're excited to announce new usability enhancements that make Vanta the best tool for growing businesses to get compliant quickly and easily.
Here's what you can do with our latest enhancements:
📝 Create and adopt policies faster with our new policy builder
✅ Streamline background checks directly in Vanta
🖥️ Easily navigate the Vanta platform with our new and improved user experience
🦙 And more
Watch our video to see all the updates or read more on our blog (link in comments)!
Marketing Head @Savy Click | Marketing Analytics Specialist | Certified Advanced Digital Marketer from MICA | Operations Management | Top Digital Marketing Voice
1wGreat perspective! I completely agree that understanding issues first is 100 percent key! 😊