Derisking Guide
Government technology projects are too important to fail, yet many of these projects do fail. This results not only in wasted resources but also diminishes the value brought to the public and decreases people’s trust in government. 18F developed a series of field guides that provide recommendations and resources for government agencies embarking on IT projects, with detailed but approachable explanations of agile methodologies and user-centered design. I developed a visual style for the guides, combining a “field-guide” style with 18F’s branding. I designed both the web site along with two print editions using the new style. I also implemented the frontend development of site for the guides using Jekyll. The templates and styles I developed were robust enough that after a few years, when the guides were updated, another designer was able to use those template to implement the new version. The guides were a success – they were translated into multiple languages, printed by congressional staff, and resulted in new work for 18F.
Client
18F
Contribution
Frontend engineering, product design, print design.
On the web, each chapter of the guides was a separate page, with an in-page nav to help guide readers to various sections. I also created custom illustrations for each section which served as a chapter opener.
The guides had an impact on congress, with staff printing and binding a copy of the guide.
A selection of a few example spreads from the print version of the guides.
