Resource Human-Centered Design Service Design

United States Digital Service Origins

This is an independent oral history archive documenting the founding and early development of the U.S. Digital Service (USDS) between 2009 and 2015.

Published Year: 2025

The archive houses nearly 50 in-depth interviews with the early team who conceived, launched, and shaped USDS, alongside a timeline of key events, thematic analysis of lessons learned, and biographies of early leaders and agency team founders.

It explores the broader civic tech ecosystem that predated USDS, the pivotal role of the Healthcare.gov rescue in launching it, and the methodologies—like discovery sprints, executive sponsorship, and embedded cross-functional teams—that defined its early operations. Designed as a learning resource, it aims to provide practitioners, researchers, and policymakers with insights into what it takes to build and sustain technology-driven transformation in government.