The nominee to lead the General Services Administration Robin Carnahan says the government can’t implement policy if it “can’t get the damn websites to work.” If the Senate confirms her, Carnahan says she’ll focus on enhancing the agency’s cyber posture, building a secure digital infrastructure and making the services more user-friendly.
- Nick Sinai, former deputy chief technology officer of the United States and now senior advisor at Insight Partners, said users want government websites to be simple, personalized, easy to log into and secure; he said one success story is the online presence for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
- Important factors are finding the right talent (designers, product managers, software developers, etc.) and contractors (both traditional and next-generation) as well as using modern commercial software, said Sinai.
- Sinai added that organizations must target all platforms where Americans look for information and services, including search and social media in addition to websites.