Executive order

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose and Policy. America has long led the world in innovation, technological advancement, and design. But with a sprawling ecosystem of digital services offered to Americans, the Government has lagged behind in usability and aesthetics. There is a high financial cost to maintaining legacy systems, to say nothing of the cost in time lost by the American public trying to navigate them. It is time to fill the digital potholes across our Nation.

With this order, I am announcing “America by Design,” a national initiative to improve experiences for Americans, starting by breathing new life into the design of sites where people interface with their Government. It is time to update the Government’s design language to be both usable and beautiful. This effort will be facilitated by a new National Design Studio and by a new Chief Design Officer. The Chief Design Officer will help recruit top creative talent, coordinate with executive departments and agencies (agencies), and devise innovative solutions.

It is the policy of my Administration to deliver digital and physical experiences that are both beautiful and efficient, improving the quality of life for our Nation. Towards that end, the National Design Studio will advise agencies on how to reduce duplicative design costs, use standardized design to enhance the public’s trust in high-impact service providers, and dramatically improve the quality of experiences offered to the American public.

Sec. 2. Establishing America by Design and the National Design Studio. (a) There is established a national initiative, America by Design, to improve comprehensively the visual presentation and usability of Federal services provided to the public in both digital and physical spaces, creating first-class online and offline experiences for Americans.

(b) To help facilitate the America by Design initiative, there is established within the White House Office of the Executive Office of the President the National Design Studio (NDS) and, within the NDS, a new position entitled the Chief Design Officer. The NDS shall be led by an Administrator, who shall report to the Office of the White House Chief of Staff. There is further established within the NDS, in accordance with section 3161 of title 5, United States Code, a temporary organization headed by the NDS Administrator and dedicated to helping advance the America by Design initiative. The temporary organization shall terminate 3 years from the date of this order, but that termination shall not be interpreted to imply the termination, attenuation, or amendment of any other authority or provision of this order.