Design Principles (U.S. Web Design System)
Five core design principles published by USWDS, the U.S. federal government’s shared design system, framed as an evaluative checklist for federal digital services under the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act.
License: Public domain — U.S. federal government work (17 U.S.C. § 105)
Key points
- Start with Real User Needs: product decisions driven by ongoing research with real people, not assumptions. See Know Your Customers and Customer Research Methods.
- Earn Trust: trust is never assumed, only earned and re-earned — clear identity signals, protecting sensitive data, system reliability, and honest, plain-language communication. See Trust and Credibility.
- Embrace Accessibility: named standards (WCAG 2.1, Revised Section 508), keyboard/screen-reader navigability, and multilingual content. See Accessibility and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
- Promote Continuity: consistency across devices, browsers, and sessions. See Interface Design Principles‘s “Be consistent throughout” principle.
- Listen: bug-reporting channels, dedicated analytics tooling, and publishing metrics back to stakeholders. See Web Site Development Process‘s Maintenance phase.