Summary: Efficiency in government is often measured in cost savings, speed, and automation. But if efficiency doesn’t improve outcomes for people, is it truly efficient? The US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) must redefine efficiency as human-centered. That means focusing on user needs, reducing friction in services, and ensuring digital solutions actually work for the people they serve.

Efficiency is the name of the game

Government digital teams like the U.S. 18F and the UK’s Government Digital Service (GDS) have shown how UX and service design can create more effective, accessible, and streamlined services. Their successes offer a blueprint for DOGE (or whatever may replace it in the future) to redefine efficiency in a way that benefits both the government and the public.

Lessons from 18F: Making Government Work for People

18F, part of the U.S. General Services Administration, (see Guides moved here once they were shut down this week) applied agile development, user research, and design thinking to government projects. 18F embodied “efficiency”: ensuring that efficiency meant services that were easier, faster, and less frustrating for the public.

Let’s look at some of 18F and GDS’s efficiency work…

Key 18F Accomplishments:

1. Login.gov – A single sign-on service for U.S. government websites, reducing redundant logins and making digital identity verification more user-friendly.
2. Cloud.gov – Built a cloud platform that allowed government agencies to quickly deploy and scale digital services without managing infrastructure.
3. U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) – Created a design framework ensuring accessibility, usability, and consistency across federal websites.
4. MyUSA – Built a personalized dashboard for citizens to track and complete government tasks, simplifying interactions with federal agencies.
5. Better Procurement Processes – 18F helped agencies adopt modular contracting, avoiding vendor lock-in and ensuring better project outcomes. See their De-risking Guide used to help both federal and state agencies avoid pitfalls in delivering successful custom technology projects
6. Medicaid Modernization – 18F worked with states to update Medicaid systems, making them more efficient and easier for users to navigate.
7. Agile Adoption – By training agencies in agile and iterative development, 18F improved government responsiveness and service adaptability.
8. Plain Language & Accessibility – 18F applied content design best practices, ensuring government services are understandable and inclusive.
9. FOIA.gov Redesign – A user-friendly website for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, simplifying access to public records.
10. IRS Direct File – worked with the IRS to build the Direct File platform now available in 25 states, doubling from 12 in 2024.
11. Training and process guidance– Provided government teams with guidance on Agile software development, design and accessibility guides, best practices and trained federal employees on how to use modern IT. DevSecOps and Agile development.
12. Modernized the Forest Service’s online permit and application process.
13. Streamlined the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division’s civil rights violation complaint submission process.
14. Supported a new case management system for the tax court which makes it easier for many taxpayers to submit online petitions.

UK GDS: A Model for Human-Centered Efficiency

The UK’s Government Digital Service (GDS) transformed the UK government’s approach to digital services, emphasizing usability, accessibility, and data-driven decision-making. It ended up saving the UK government £50 billion over a five year span (source: Francis Maude, The Rt Hon the Lord Maude of Horsham, 2018).

Key GDS Accomplishments:

1. GOV.UK – A single digital platform replacing thousands of government websites, making it easier to find and use government services.
2. Verify – A secure, reusable digital identity system for accessing government services.
3. GOV.UK Notify – A tool allowing government agencies to send timely notifications to citizens via SMS, email, and letters.
4. GOV.UK Pay – A standardized payment platform for public services, reducing complexity and making transactions easier.
5. Service Standard & Assessment – A framework ensuring government services meet user needs before launch.
6. Digital Marketplace – A procurement system that simplifies how government buys digital services, fostering competition and improving quality.
7. Design Principles – A set of principles guiding government service design, emphasizing user needs and simplicity.
8. Common Technology Services and processes – Shared digital infrastructure across departments, reducing costs and fragmentation.
9. Accessibility & Inclusion Initiatives – GDS has led the way in making government services usable for everyone, including people with disabilities.

Additionally, local government throughout the UK (and governments globally) reply on GDS for process direction, decisions and patterns as well as case studies and ongoing people-centred design innovations. Two recent examples are their AI Playbook for Government and innovative efforts like: People-centred and participatory policymaking

A Path Forward for Government Efficiency efforts

Government efficiency should follow 18F and GDS by embedding UX and service design into its efficiency measures. This means increasing its size probably 10 fold, especially when tackling waste, corruption and inefficiency in the US military.

Efficiency isn’t just about reducing costs—it’s about reducing complexity for people. Government efficiency is shaped by:

• Services that are easy to use and accessible.
• Digital platforms prioritizing user needs over internal structures.
• Policies supporting iterative development, not massive, rigid IT contracts.
• Government and policy makers learning through user involvement to continuously improve.

Bottom line:

It’s unclear why DOGE ‘deleted’ 18F. Efficiency that ignores people creates frustration, inefficiencies, and wasted taxpayer money. Efficiency that centers on users creates streamlined, effective government services that work. It’s time for DOGE to redefine efficiency the right way.