Delivering impact for the customer — the public — requires balancing user needs and regulatory and reporting needs, in the context of the entire ecosystem.

All 10x projects seek to improve the public's experience with the government, but with a public as enormous and diverse as ours, our investments require focus. To do this, 10x takes cues from elsewhere in the federal government about useful and timely ways to invest in the public good. Perhaps the best example is the federal government's years-long focus on delivering excellent Customer Experience (CX) to the public. By aligning with the CX priority, 10x can focus on helping customers (to us, that means everyone) facing tough situations that require them to seek customer service from the government.

Take survivors of natural disasters, for instance. Tools for assisting disaster survivors must meet the needs of both the survivors themselves and the regulatory and reporting needs of the agencies assisting them. Delivering impact for the customer in these situations requires balancing these needs and seeing each solution in the context of its entire ecosystem, which is a strength of the 10x approach.

Check out some of our projects designed to improve CX for the American people:

Combating bias in AI/ML

10x has developed tools to help public servants "de-bias" datasets that power AI. Developed in collaboration with the Census, the initial toolkit can help public servants use AI without the fear of introducing bias. Check out the beta version of the Bias Toolkit.

Equity-centered design with American Indians and Alaska Natives

In the spirit of designing "with" and not "for," 10x looked at developing a framework for federal agencies to better engage and collaborate with Tribal governments to create more meaningful and useful digital solutions.

Hearing resident perspectives on federal housing

Residents in federal housing do not have a way to communicate their values, candid perspectives, and needs to the government. 10x looked at whether there was a way to use technology to help them provide feedback on federal housing effectively and safely.

Helping small, disadvantaged businesses navigate federal procurement

A critical but sometimes overlooked customer base of the government are entrepreneurs who want to conduct business with the federal government. Doing business with the government requires small business owners to navigate complex, outdated web portals with guidance that is hard to interpret. Business owners from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds face particularly high hurdles. In this project, 10x looked at whether there was an opportunity to develop a technical solution to help them navigate the federal business space.

Improving language access on government websites

For the more than 60 million Americans who are not fluent in English accessing information on government websites can be a challenge. Even when there is content in their language, it can be hard to find. 10x is conducting user testing with monolingual speakers of languages other than English to find out how to help them find content in their language.

Improving services to repeat disaster survivors

About 7% of applicants for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are people who have survived multiple natural disasters. 10x took a CX lens by viewing repeat disaster survivors as a distinct customer base with specific needs who need better ways of interacting with government agencies.

Meeting disaster survivors where they are

The government responds to a wide array of disasters each year and administers many types of assistance and benefits to people affected by them. 10x explored the development of digital, multi-modal inspection tools that both disaster survivors and government inspectors could use to verify claims and modernize application processes.

Multilingual glossary tool

10x is piloting a tool that will help public servants manage standardized translated terms and provide consistent translations to users with limited English proficiency (LEP). Using standardized terms on matters of health, benefits and public safety improves digital experiences for the public, and reduces duplicative translation efforts for government translators. Learn more on the Multilingual Glossary Tool project page.

Mutual aid for post-disaster rebuilding

Communities struggle to rebuild after a disaster because local building departments are overwhelmed and there is a lack of awareness about available resources. 10x is developing a web portal to educate communities about mutual aid opportunities and connect them with experts who can guide them through the process, helping them rebuild faster, better, and at a lower cost.

Reimagining access to government services

Accessing public benefits is often most challenging for those who need it the most — people without a permanent address and who lack reliable internet access. 10x looked into ways that the government agencies can reach and serve this key, high-need group of customers.

Reimagining tribal consultation

10x is investigating how new approaches to technology can elevate this discourse, make engagement more meaningful and impactful and ultimately lead to better nation-to-nation relations.

Resources for formerly incarcerated people

10x looked at how we can deliver a centralized resource to help people recently released from prison get the support they need to avoid reoffending by reentering society successfully.

Shareable, scalable public feedback tools

The public wants to report complaints and feedback to government agencies, but difficult intake methods and slow, inconsistent responses create a frustrating experience. 10x is developing a shared report portal as a service to streamline the submission process and help agencies respond to public concerns.

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