08/02/2026
Why should government websites be boring?
For years, we've been told: "Government sites are just for information, not conversion."
"They don't need good design, people will use them anyway."
"Beautiful UX is for selling products, not serving citizens."
But here's what we forgot:
These sites serve millions of Americans who have no choice but to use them.
Healthcare benefits. Public services. Critical information.
Bad design isn't just ugly, it's a barrier to access.
The Trump Administration changed this by appointing Joe G., Airbnb's co-founder and Chief Design Officer, to lead the redesign of government digital services.
The result? Sites that actually work:
TrumpRx.gov
RealFood.gov
SafeDC.gov
TrumpCard.gov
Designed by National Design Studio under Gebbia's direction, these sites prove what happens when you apply real UX principles to government services.
What changed:
Before: → Laggy, outdated interfaces → Buried CTAs → Walls of regulatory text nobody reads → Zero interaction design
After: → Clear information architecture → Intuitive navigation → Fast, responsive design → Beautiful AND functional
The excuse was always: "It's boring because it's just information."
But good information delivered poorly is useless information.
When a parent is trying to understand their child's healthcare coverage, clarity isn't a luxury, it's essential.
When someone needs emergency services, good UX could literally save time that saves lives.
Here's the truth:
Beautiful design that functions well isn't reserved for apps trying to sell you something.
It's for anything that serves humans.
Government websites serve more people than most SaaS products ever will.
It took appointing a Chief Design Officer who redesigned how millions book travel to prove this:
Good design matters everywhere.
The real question isn't "why should government sites be boring?"
It's "why did we ever accept that they should be?"
What's your take, should civic digital services be held to the same UX standards as consumer products?
