USA.GOV Creates First of Its Kind Research Program for the General Public

If you’ve been reading the GovLoop blog for the last two years, you are probably familiar with the previous articles on the hurdles agencies face when they start exploring how to conduct user research with the public. As a user researcher who worked directly in the government for two years, I can attest that the process was not only arduous, but it often took so long to get approval that the project went forward without it. 

That changed recently when it was announced that USA.GOV had just launched a recruiting process for anyone in the public to sign up to “Help shape the future of federal websites.” Across LinkedIn and the general civic tech space, there was much rejoicing. I wanted to outline just why this is such a big deal and why YOU should sign up.

Why Research is Hard in Government

There’s a lot of history here but the root of the issue has been with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) and how that impacts the research and collection of data from the public. Traditionally, the PRA:

• Limits non-PRA cleared research to less than 10 participants in a 12 month period
• Requires approval from an agency’s privacy officer or another official such as Office of the General Counsel (OGC), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Data Officer (CDO) or other specialist, many of whom are swamped
• Limits changes to pre-approved questions once launched (meaning you can’t modify your research questions as you learn more)
• Disallows payment to participants for their time, which creates barriers to participation
• Often takes months to move forward

How This New USA.GOV Approach Helps

The good news is that this new approach will do several things that are conducive to conducting well-executed user research. This includes:

• Allowing for anyone to sign up. To truly represent the public, a researcher needs to be able to access a set of participants who mirror the public. The more people that sign up, the better the odds that there will be a truly representative sample set available
• Allocating $75 per hour for participation, ensuring that everyone, including those in marginalized groups, are being fairly compensated for their time
• Ensuring requests are being managed and data is being properly maintained and secured by the Technology Transformation Service (TTS) within GSA. TTS is one of the premier federal digital service agencies and has been at the forefront of innovation for over 50 years
• Connecting approved researchers and public participants, allowing agencies to create the very best digital services and websites in a timely fashion

The importance of this new initiative cannot be understated and TTS is looking to get started on improving the USA.gov experience and, just in time for election season, VOTE.gov. Both of these websites get thousands of visitors each day and now more than ever, Uncle Sam would like to hear from you! Sign up today and help shape the future of the federal government online.

Emily Ryan has worked cross-functionally as a designer, full-stack developer and UX researcher to solve a variety of digital issues for public and private sector spaces, focusing on civic tech. She’s worked across start-ups, federal government and consulting agencies. She holds a BFA in Design, an M.A. in Criminal Law and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Government, focusing on technology’s influences and impacts on global democratic movements and free and open elections. In her free time she runs ultramarathons and travels, preferring locations with traditional European holiday markets, walking food tours and modern art exhibits.

Image by Library of Congress on Unsplash