Guidelines for Improving Digital Services and Customer Experience

The Digital Services Advisory Group and the Federal Web Managers Council have developed the following guidelines to meet the 6.1 milestone of the Digital Government Strategy. These guidelines apply to all digital services, including Web, mobile, apps, APIs, and online forms.

Recommended Guidelines
Guideline 1: Digital Strategy	Ensure digital presence as an integral part of the agency’s overall business, communications, and customer experience strategy
Guideline 2: Governance, Policies, and Standards	Establish a digital governance structure to provide accountability and enforce policies and standards
Guideline 3: Cross-Agency Collaboration and Shared Services and Tools	Leverage existing infrastructure, shared tools, best practices, and communities of practice, and coordinate within and across agencies to create efficiency and reduce duplication
Guideline 4: Technical Considerations	Use the most recent and up-to-date technical standards to deliver a better customer experience
Guideline 5: Content Quality	Ensure digital content is accurate, relevant, easy-to-use, and conveyed in plain language
Guideline 6: Open, Sharable Content	Publish information in ways that make it easy to find, access, share, distribute, and re-purpose
Guideline 7: Usability and Accessibility	Ensure that digital services are easy to use and accessible, including for people with disabilities and those who aren’t proficient in English
Guideline 8: Privacy and Security	Minimize risks associated with privacy and security
Guideline 9: User Feedback	Collect and address customer feedback
Guideline 10: Evaluation	Regularly evaluate all digital products for performance and cost effectiveness

Content Lead: Mike Kruger
Page Reviewed/Updated: December 6, 2012