President Donald Trump has signed an executive order establishing a National Design Studio aimed at overhauling the federal government’s websites and digital services.
The “America by Design” initiative will create a Chief Design Officer position to streamline government interfaces that currently frustrate millions of Americans.
“It is time to update the Government’s design language to be both usable and beautiful,” Trump said. The President set a July 4, 2026, deadline for agencies to produce initial results.
The move addresses the stark reality that only 6% of federal websites rate as being “good” for mobile performance, while less than 20% use standardized design code. As a result, this digital dysfunction costs taxpayers money and erodes trust in government services.
The National Design Studio will work to reduce duplicative design costs and improve both digital and physical federal spaces. Agency heads must now collaborate with the Chief Design Officer to implement consistent design standards across their departments.
Currently, 45% of federal websites aren’t mobile-friendly, forcing Americans to navigate clunky interfaces on outdated systems. The executive order mandates updates to the United States Web Design System and ensures compliance with the 21st Century IDEA Act.
The Trump administration points to recent successes in modernizing government operations. Veterans’ benefits backlogs dropped by 37%, while federal retirement records moved from limestone mine storage to digital systems.
The Chief Design Officer will recruit private-sector designers to lead the transformation effort. This public-private partnership aims to bring Silicon Valley-level user experience to government services.
Agency heads must prioritize improving websites and locations that have a “major impact on Americans’ everyday lives.” The General Services Administration will update the United States Web Design System to align with the new standards.
The America by Design initiative tackles what many Americans experience daily: confusing government websites that waste time and resources. With 26,000 federal websites currently operating with varying quality and design standards, the standardization effort faces a massive undertaking.