Human-Centered Government Technology

Most government technology digitizes existing paper processes rather than adopting truly digital approaches. This creates systems that serve institutional convenience rather than human needs - forms that replicate bureaucratic workflows instead of solving user problems.

My work focuses on the difference between "digitizing paper processes" and "adopting digital ones." This means designing technology around how people actually think and work, not around organizational charts or legacy procedures.

Examples include helping start USCIS on the path from form-centric to person-centric services, creating the U.S. Web Design System to standardize human-centered patterns across government, and researching how the "federal front door" can better serve people's actual needs rather than agency silos.

The core challenge is balancing institutional requirements with user needs - building systems that are both governmentally sound and genuinely helpful to the people they serve.