By Victor Carlstrom, CX Lead, REI Systems

The launch of the National Design Studio (NDS) represents a meaningful step toward modernizing how the federal government delivers digital services. Improving websites and online systems is never simply about aesthetics—it’s about enabling people to access essential information and services reliably, without unnecessary friction.

From its earliest descriptions, NDS appears focused on the right priorities:

• Modernizing outdated websites and systems
• Reducing duplication across platforms
• Establishing consistent design standards for federal digital services

These efforts matter. An OMB inventory identified 6,805 public-facing .gov and .mil websites across the executive branch, a scale that makes inconsistent experiences almost inevitable. Citizens frequently move between sites, encounter conflicting information, and face different interaction patterns for similar tasks. This fragmentation affects more than usability—it influences trust, efficiency, and ultimately the success of federal missions. With agencies processing more than 106 billion form submissions each year, even modest improvements in clarity or workflow cohesion can produce widespread benefits.

Meeting the goals NDS has set—particularly within an ambitious three-year timeframe—will require sustained collaboration across technology, design, and mission operations. At REI Systems, we’ve seen how these elements come together through our work with agencies like GSA and FDA. Supporting large and diverse user populations, reducing operational friction, and ensuring compliance and accessibility are all achievable when teams share a clear vision for how digital services should function. That blend of technical rigor and human-centered practice aligns closely with NDS’s objectives.

A Wish List for NDS

Drawing on our experience designing, building, and modernizing federal services, we offer the following considerations as NDS shapes its approach.

1. Establish a repeatable, practical Customer Experience (CX) process across agencies

A shared approach to understanding customer needs, expectations, and pain points would help agencies collect and apply user insights more consistently. Resources like the US Digital Service Playbook offer valuable guidance but can be difficult to operationalize without deep familiarity. A streamlined, trainable CX framework—supported by opportunities to report findings back to NDS—could help agencies build capacity while contributing to a broader, government-wide view of user research.

2. Conduct content and process audits to identify redundancies and streamline workflows

Reducing duplicative processes first requires clarity about where they exist. Structured audits offer a holistic view of content, tasks, and decision points across systems. This visibility helps teams understand where flows can be simplified, consolidated, or automated, and ensures modernization efforts are grounded in actual user journeys rather than assumptions.

3. Strengthen and expand a technology-agnostic design system

A unified digital experience depends on consistent visual and interaction patterns that hold across platforms and applications. Whether an individual applies for a grant at one agency or submits documentation at another, the foundational elements of the experience should feel familiar. Enhancing a system like USWDS with clear guidance on when and how to apply specific components can help agencies maintain coherence without sacrificing flexibility.

4. Extend digital improvements into in-person service experiences

Meaningful modernization goes beyond screens. When online workflows become clearer and more intuitive, those improvements should be reflected in the physical environments where federal services are delivered. Forms, signage, staff guidance, and analog processes all benefit from alignment with a shared digital language. Considering both environments together helps ensure citizens encounter a consistent, supportive experience across touchpoints.

Insights from Experience

Through decades of supporting federal digital services, we’ve learned a few patterns that may be useful as NDS advances its work:

• Federal scale amplifies every change—large and small.
•  Modernization succeeds when design, technology, and mission needs inform one another.
• Agencies bring unique constraints and perspectives, and alignment across them takes time and collaboration.
• CX plays a crucial role in building trust, particularly in services that affect health, benefits, safety, and daily life.

We’ve seen promising outcomes across government when teams pair thoughtful research with iterative development. Public examples—such as the widely noted improvements in Veterans Affairs’ customer experience—demonstrate how sustained attention to user needs leads to more intuitive and responsive services. Our website’s Insights section highlights several REI-led projects that reflect these same principles in action.

Looking Ahead

NDS has set an ambitious path, and the commitment it signals—to a modern, human-centered federal digital experience—is worth celebrating. Whether or not every goal is met within the initial timeline, the foundation being laid has the potential to influence how millions of people interact with their government. Our hope is that NDS builds on the progress already underway across agencies and continues to elevate practices that make digital services clearer, more consistent, and more trustworthy.

A unified federal digital experience is within reach. With thoughtful planning and collaboration, it can meaningfully improve how citizens navigate and benefit from the services they rely on.