If you are a web designer or developer working for the US government, you might have heard of the US Web Design Standard. This is a set of common UI components and visual styles for websites that aims to make it easier for government teams. To create trustworthy, accessible, and consistent digital services for the American public.
In this article, we will explain what the US Web Design Standard is, what its benefits are, how to use it, and where to find more resources.
What is the US Web Design Standard?
The US Web Design Standard is a library of design guidelines and code developed by the General Services Administration (GSA) and 18F, a digital services agency within GSA.
It was first launched in 2015 as the US Web Design Standards and later renamed the US Web Design System (USWDS) in 2018.
The USWDS is based on the best practices and principles of user-centered design, web accessibility, and web performance. It incorporates federal standards such as Section 508, WCAG 2.0, and the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act.
The USWDS consists of four main components:
Design Tokens
These are the basic elements of the design system, such as colors, fonts, spacing, and icons. They are defined in a JSON file that is across different platforms and tools.
Components
These are reusable UI elements that can be combined to create different layouts and interactions. They include buttons, forms, navigation, alerts, tables, and more. They are coded in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and follow the BEM naming convention.
Utilities
These are CSS classes that can be applied to any element to modify its appearance or behavior. They include typography, display, flexbox, grid, margin, padding, border, and more. They follow the SUIT CSS naming convention.
Templates
These are pre-made page layouts that can be used as a starting point for creating different types of web pages. They include landing pages, documentation pages, blog posts, and more.
The USWDS also provides other resources such as design principles, user experience guidance, code examples, documentation, and online courses.
What are the Benefits of Using the US Web Design Standard?
Using the US Web Design Standard has many benefits for web designers, developers, and web users. Some of these benefits are:
- For web designers and developers:
- Saves time and effort by providing ready-made UI components and code that can be easily integrated into any project.
- Ensures consistency and quality by following established standards and best practices for web design and development.
- Supports collaboration and innovation by being an open-source project that welcomes contributions and feedback from anyone.
- Facilitates learning and growth by offering educational resources and community support for improving skills and knowledge.
- For web users:
- Improves trust and confidence by creating websites that look professional and reliable.
- Enhances accessibility and usability by creating websites that work well on all devices and browsers, and meet the needs of people with disabilities.
- Boosts performance and security by creating websites that load quickly and protect data.
- Fosters engagement and satisfaction by creating websites that are easy to navigate and understand.
How to Use the US Web Design Standard?
Using the US Web Design Standard is not mandatory, but highly recommended for any government website or digital service.
The USWDS provides a maturity model that helps agencies adopt the design system incrementally, and prioritize implementation to align with their modernization plans and the Act’s reports.
The maturity model consists of four levels:
- Level 0: Integrate design principles. This level involves understanding and applying the core design principles of the USWDS, such as starting with real user needs, earning trust, promoting continuity, and embracing accountability.
- Level 1: Follow user experience guidance. This level involves following the user experience guidance of the USWDS, such as conducting user research, testing prototypes, documenting findings, and iterating solutions.
- Level 2: Use the USWDS code. This level involves using the core components of the USWDS, such as design tokens, components, utilities, and templates.
- Level 3: Contribute back. This level involves contributing back to the USWDS community, such as reporting issues, suggesting improvements, sharing best practices, and joining discussions.
To use the USWDS code, there are different methods available, depending on your project needs and preferences. Some of these methods are:
- Download the ZIP file from the USWDS website and add it to your project folder.
- Installing it via npm or yarn from the USWDS GitHub repository and importing it into your project files.
- Use a CDN link from unpkg.com and add it to your HTML head.
- Use a starter kit from the USWDS website and customize it to your project specifications.
Where to Find More Resources?
If you want to learn more about the US Web Design Standard, there are many resources available online that can help you. Some of these resources are:
- USWDS website, where you can find the latest version of the design system, documentation, code examples, online courses, and more.
- The USWDS GitHub repository, where you can find the source code of the design system, issues, pull requests, releases, and more.
- Slack channel of USWDS, where you can join the conversation with other USWDS users, ask questions, share feedback, and get support.
- The USWDS YouTube channel, where you can watch videos of webinars, workshops, demos, and more.
Summary
The US Web Design Standard is a valuable resource for web designers and developers who work for the US government.
It is a set of common UI components and visual styles for websites that aims to make it easier for government teams. To create trustworthy, accessible, and consistent digital services for the American public. With many benefits for both web designers developers and web users.
Also, it provides a maturity model that helps agencies adopt the design system incrementally, and prioritize implementation to align with their modernization plans and the Act’s reports.
It also offers different methods to use the design system code, depending on your project needs and preferences. It also provides many resources online that can help you learn more about the design system, such as the USWDS website, GitHub repository, Slack channel, and YouTube channel.
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