The Ultimate Web Design Checklist for Government Websites

Over 2 billion visits flood federal websites monthly, with citizens spending roughly 80 billion hours annually seeking services, information, and support.

Yet here's the reality that keeps government IT leaders awake: more than half of that traffic comes from mobile devices, and an estimated 60+ million Americans with disabilities depend on these digital services being accessible.

When a veteran can't access benefits on their phone, or a taxpayer with vision impairment hits a PDF roadblock, government websites are failing the public trust.

Government agencies operate under a unique pressure cooker: stringent accessibility mandates like Section 508 and WCAG standards, federal cybersecurity directives, and the 21st Century IDEA's requirement for "digital-first" experiences.

The stakes are citizen satisfaction, operational efficiency, and compliance with federal law.

This checklist distills official federal standards, from OMB memos to NIST frameworks, into actionable priorities across six essential pillars. 

Web Design Checklist for Government Websites

These are the non-negotiables that separate effective government websites from digital dead-ends.

1. Design for Every Citizen

Federal websites must satisfy WCAG 2.0 Level AA criteria at minimum, per the 2017 Section 508 Refresh. The Department of Justice's 2023 ADA rule has already raised the bar to WCAG 2.1 AA for state and local governments, so federal agencies should plan for that standard now.

Here’s where you can start:

- Use proper heading hierarchies and ARIA roles only where native HTML falls short. Screen readers depend on this structure to navigate content logically.
- Every function (forms, navigation, widgets) must work without a mouse. Implement skip links and ensure visible focus states.
- Maintain 4.5:1 contrast ratios for normal text. Provide meaningful alt text for images and captions/transcripts for multimedia.
- Publish as HTML first. When PDFs are unavoidable, ensure they're tagged and screen-reader accessible.

A GSA case study revealed that automated accessibility scanners often flag low-impact issues while missing critical barriers. Combine automated testing (using tools like WAVE or Section508's ART) with manual keyboard-only and screen-reader testing. Include people with disabilities in usability studies as their feedback will reveal issues no tool can catch.

2. Protect Public Data

Government sites are high-value targets. The OMB M-15-13 memo and DHS BOD 18-01 mandate HTTPS with HSTS across all federal websites. But transport encryption is just the baseline.

The security checklist for protecting public data includes:

• Encrypt everything using TLS 1.2+ (preferably 1.3), strong ciphers only, and HSTS preloading.
• Implement the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and applicable SP 800-53 controls for data protection and access control.
• Adopt the NIST Secure Software Development Framework (SP 800-218)
• Use static analysis, remediate OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, and sanitize all user inputs.
• Implement CSP headers alongside X-Frame-Options and X-Content-Type-Options to mitigate injection and clickjacking attacks.
• Follow NIST SP 800-63B for password and MFA standards. Encrypt PII at rest using FIPS-compliant algorithms.

Outdated CMS platforms and unpatched software remain the weakest links. Prioritize migration to supported platforms with centralized monitoring and automated patching pipelines.

3. Ensure Citizen-Centered Design

The U.S. Digital Services Playbook opens with a directive: "Understand what people need." Government websites exist to help citizens complete tasks (pay taxes, apply for benefits, find information) not to showcase bureaucratic org charts.

Your UX priorities should be:

• Interview real users (taxpayers, veterans, small business owners). Build personas and map user journeys before touching a design tool.
• The Plain Writing Act of 2010 mandates clear, concise content. Write for an 8th-grade reading level. Use bullet points, short paragraphs, and descriptive headings.
• Structure navigation around what users want to accomplish, not how your agency is organized. Provide clear calls-to-action and progress indicators for multi-step processes.
• Leverage the U.S. Web Design System for standardized components that citizens already recognize.

When the USDA conducted content audits and removed outdated pages, user task completion rates improved dramatically. Less clutter means faster paths to answers.

4. Design for the Device in Every Pocket

OMB's 2023 guidance explicitly requires "mobile-first design that scales across varying device sizes." With roughly 16% of American adults relying solely on smartphones for internet access, mobile is the primary channel.

Your mobile must-haves are:

• Responsive grids. Use flexible layouts (USWDS responsive classes) with proper viewport meta tags so content reflows naturally on any screen.
• Touch-friendly interfaces. Buttons and links should be large enough for fingers (minimum 44×44 pixels). Replace hover-only interactions with tap-friendly alternatives.
• Performance for constrained networks. Serve scaled images using srcset, defer non-critical JavaScript, and minimize render-blocking resources. Mobile users on cellular connections can't afford bloated pages.
• Device testing. Emulators catch layout issues, but testing on real devices reveals the actual user experience. Prioritize testing on the devices your analytics show are most common among your audience.

5. Prioritize Speed as a Service Quality

Users abandon sites that take more than a few seconds to load. Google's Core Web Vitals ( Largest Contentful Paint, First Input Delay, and Cumulative Layout Shift) provide measurable benchmarks for user-perceived performance.

Here’s how you can optimize your performance:

• Use WebPageTest, PageSpeed Insights, and Google Lighthouse to establish baselines. A GSA analysis found the slowest government sites averaged only 26% on performance scores while agency leaders hit 84%.
• Compress images, use modern formats WebP, implement lazy loading for off-screen media, and minify CSS/JavaScript.
• Serve static assets via content delivery networks with long cache headers. Implement server-side caching for dynamic content.
• Aim for LCP under 2.5 seconds and FID under 100 milliseconds.

Also, include performance budgets in your development sprints and run automated Lighthouse CI tests before deployment to catch regressions early.

6. Comply with Federal Laws

Government websites operate under a web of mandates. Missing compliance requirements can trigger audits, legal exposure, and public criticism.

Track these key policies:

• OMB M-23-22 & 21st Century IDEA: Requires accessible, secure, user-centered, mobile-first, data-driven digital experiences. The March 2024 deadline for major site updates has passed. If your agency hasn't complied, this is urgent.
• Digital Services Playbook: 13 plays covering agile development, security by design, open source, and data-driven decisions.
• Federal Digital Analytics Program DAP: Mandates analytics tracking and performance data publication.
• Privacy requirements: Privacy Act compliance, Privacy Impact Assessments under the E-Government Act, and agency-specific regulations.

The Drupal Advantage for Government

For agencies evaluating platforms, Drupal offers distinct advantages for government use cases: enterprise-grade security with a dedicated security team, built-in accessibility compliance tools, and the flexibility to meet complex workflow requirements while maintaining the performance standards federal sites demand.

The platform's modular architecture supports USWDS out of the box, and its active government community shares solutions to common compliance challenges.

OPTASY brings specialized Drupal expertise to help government agencies meet federal mandates efficiently. We architect accessible, secure, mobile-first solutions aligned with Section 508, WCAG 2.1 AA, and 21st Century IDEA requirements.

Our team implements USWDS-compliant designs, NIST security frameworks, and performance optimization that transforms complex compliance challenges into citizen-centered digital experiences.

We understand government workflows, procurement processes, and the critical importance of delivering trustworthy public services online.

To conclude

Government websites are the digital front door to public services. When they work well, they build trust, reduce administrative burden, and serve citizens equitably. When they fail, they reinforce frustration with government bureaucracy.

This checklist will help you deliver on the promise of digital government.

Need guidance implementing these standards on your agency's website?

At OPTASY, we've guided government agencies through accessibility audits, security hardening, and performance optimization for nearly two decades.

Contact our team to discuss how we can help transform your digital presence into a service citizens trust.