Why OMB Guidance for 21st Century IDEA Is Critical (and Far Past Due)

A few months ago, Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) Clare Martorana shared that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will finally be providing guidance to federal agencies on how to implement the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act, or 21st Century IDEA. Passed in late 2018, 21st Century IDEA aims to transform how customers interact with federal agencies by ensuring that digital services are easy-to-use, mobile-friendly, data-driven, and accessible.

Congress initially required OMB to issue implementation guidance by June 2019—not to mention pressed OMB for this guidance multiple times since then—and Martorana said the guidance should “hopefully” arrive this summer. Without such guidance, 21st Century IDEA will remain more idea than reality.

21st Century IDEA requires OMB to issue guidance on how federal agencies should modernize their websites and forms—the principal way most customers interact with federal agencies. This guidance is crucial to ensure agencies adhere to government-wide design principles and accessibility standards that create positive digital experiences.

While the law states that any paper-based forms related to serving the public be made fully digital and mobile-friendly, many federal forms remain non-compliant. As the Federal CIO herself pointed out, “only two percent of our forms in government are available for digital use,” with the government spending $38 billion each year on paper. Completing and handling these paper-based forms are also time-consuming for both customers and federal workers.

Furthermore, the success of 21st Century IDEA hinges on agencies' ability to improve how they use customer data. Right now, federal agencies aren’t collecting enough data on their digital services. OMB guidance should specify how agencies should deploy data-driven analytics, including survey, test, and behavioral data, and instructions on developing customer feedback loops.

Finally, OMB guidance is a critical tool for driving agency accountability and compliance with 21st Century IDEA. By clearly articulating the expectations and requirements for agencies, OMB ensures that agency CIOs align their efforts with legislative intent and avoids each agency CIO attempting to independently interpret the law’s requirements. This guidance should outline reporting mechanisms, performance metrics, and evaluation criteria, enabling agencies to assess their progress and identify areas for improvement.

21st Century IDEA can greatly improve how customers interact with the federal government. OMB’s guidance plays a crucial role in providing a unified vision and establishing best practices that agencies can follow to ensure consistent and intuitive experiences across government websites, forms, and other digital services. OMB should act promptly so that the guidance really does come this summer and 21st Century IDEA can finally become a reality.