Guides
Principles and standards that shape our work
18F’s work with other agencies is built on user-centered development, testing to validate hypotheses, shipping often, and deploying products in the open. Below are the technical guides that bring those principles into our day-to-day work.
Derisking
Save millions of dollars and reduce risk in your technology projects.
Read Derisking guide
Design Methods
Involve the people who will use your service in the design process.
Read Design Methods guide
Agile
Move toward an agile approach to stay within budget and provide value to the public.
Read Agile guideContent
Create content in plain language to help the public save time and build trust.
Read Content guideEngineering
Develop secure software in the cloud, which can reduce costs and scale to meet public need.
Read Engineering guide
User Experience
Make your products and services work for the people that use them.
Read User Experience guideBeyond helping 18F staff do their best work, we hope these guides will inspire other federal agencies to adopt new practices. 18F’s projects with other federal agencies show that these techniques can help projects stay within budget, provide excellent value to the public, and fulfill federal rules.
These guides, and all of 18F’s work, are in the worldwide public domain. You are free to copy and adapt them as you choose. If you see something amiss or want to suggest a change, there are links at the bottom of each guide to help you contribute.