-
Content design for beta.ada.gov: writing for action and flexibility
on July 13, 2022
We worked with a team at the Department of Justice to redesign ADA.gov. We helped them launch beta.ada.gov, and we’ve designed new content for some of the most sought-after ADA topics.
-
Content governance: What it is and how to get started
on July 27, 2021
How is your content created and maintained? Who does what? How do you decide what your content priorities are? With content governance you can answer these questions, provide clarity to your organization, and become a content hero!
-
Transforming how DOJ's Civil Rights Division engages with the public
on July 7, 2020
In order to be more responsive to the public’s changing communication needs and the increased reporting volume,the Civil Rights Division, in close collaboration with 18F, has launched a user-friendly online submission experience at civilrights.justice.gov that transforms the way the Division collects, sorts, and responds to civil rights reports.
-
Building trust in a public health crisis
on June 23, 2020
Lately, the 18F content team has been thinking about how to communicate well in a crisis—providing clear, understandable content is especially important. Content strategy practices that focus on the needs of the user are essential to earning the trust of the public. Here, we will explain how to embody those qualities on the web in user-centered ways.
-
Ask 18F — How do you tackle the problem of associating plain language to formal governmental terms?
on July 6, 2018
Ask 18F is an advice column that answers questions sent in by federal employees. In this edition, we’ll talk about how to associate plain language to formal governmental terms
-
Writing for the web is easy. Writing for users is not.
on October 26, 2016
Government websites are written for an extraordinarily diverse group of users. They come to our websites with different knowledge, backgrounds, and abilities. Fortunately, there are steps we can take to make sure the content we care about reaches the audience we want (and is useful to them).
-
Strategies for starting your own writing lab
on July 19, 2016
Interested in spinning up your own Writing Lab? Use these tips as your starting point.
-
6 ways a writing lab will help your organization
on June 30, 2016
Wondering if a writing lab might be right for your organization? Reviewing the benefits 18F has seen from our Writing Lab might help you figure out if starting your own is the way to go.
-
Using plain language to bridge the gap between government and industry
on June 21, 2016
Recently, we partnered with the Office of Integrated Technology Services (ITS) here within the General Services Administration (GSA) on a four-month effort to develop a plain language guide, informed by research and interviews, to help technology companies interested in doing business with the federal government better understand how to join IT Schedule 70.
-
Taking an agile approach to content
on May 31, 2016
At 18F, we work in an agile way — in other words, we base our designs on user needs, conduct usability testing, iterate quickly, and release MVPs (minimum viable products) rather than highly finalized releases. We take an agile approach to content too.
-
The user-centered redesign of IdentityTheft.gov
on May 24, 2016
IdentityTheft.gov is user-friendly and intentional. We talk to the team behind the redesign about the user research that went into content and design decisions for the site.
-
A sestina on sunsetting content
on May 23, 2016
Sunsetting can be contentious in government. We manage websites for the public, which feels like managing content for everyone’s needs. When you have to think about everyone, that makes it a lot more complicated to delete things.
-
Content debt: What it is, where to find it, and how to prevent it in the first place
on May 19, 2016
Like technical debt, a failure to plan for content-related debt can cause major headaches down the road. In this post, I list some potential sources of content-related debt, list ways to identify it, and then share strategies for preventing it in the first place.
-
A guide to the 18F Writing Lab
on April 28, 2016
The guide is designed to equip 18F staff with the information they need to quickly and easily request writing and editing help from the Lab, and also to provide our Lab editors with guidance on editing styles and workflows so we can provide a smooth experience for staff who request the Lab’s help.
-
Lean on me: Asking for help on the content team
on April 25, 2016
Our content squad is made of folks with a wide range of backgrounds and skills — we put this to good use by regularly asking each other for help with projects. Here’s a look into some of our recent collaboration.
-
A clear audience makes for a good blog post
on April 20, 2016
The most important advice I give 18F staff while they’re working on a blog post is to define their audience as clearly and as narrowly as possible. This focus has helped us overcome numerous hurdles to publishing quality blog posts, and it’s also the part of our new Blogging Guide that I’m most excited about.
-
Looking at the different ways to test content
on April 19, 2016
We know good content when we see it, and we’re frustrated when we don’t. Keeping this in mind, are there ways that writers can quantify and measure their writing? We’ve looked at different tests you can run depending on the age of your audience.
-
Lending a helping editorial hand: the 18F Writing Lab
on January 22, 2016
The Writing Lab is a virtual writing center where anyone at 18F can get personalized writing and editing help from members of the content and outreach teams.
-
Plain language for the win: betaFEC’s new content design
on December 17, 2015
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has been working since the 1970s to clarify the rules for raising and spending money in federal elections, and today we’re thrilled to announce the first major content launch of betaFEC: a guide to registration and reporting that makes intricate information easier to understand.
-
The 18F content guide: working toward cleaner, more accessible communication
on July 6, 2015
We’re proud to announce the release of our 18F Content Guide, a comprehensive handbook to help content creators on our team (and, we hope, elsewhere) create more direct, accessible, and compelling written works.
-
A day in the life of an 18F content designer
on March 12, 2015
In preparation for our one-year anniversary, we at 18F are introducing a new blog feature — our Day in the Life Series. Once a month, a different team member will share the details of their typical day in the office. Up first is Kate Garklavs, Content Designer.
Back to
18F Blog