is a news writer focused on creative industries, computing, and internet culture. Jess started her career at TechRadar, covering news and hardware reviews.
President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on Thursday to improve the “usability and aesthetics” of US government services by creating “first-class online and offline experiences for Americans.”
“It is time to update the Government’s design language to be both usable and beautiful,” Trump said in the order, which establishes an America by Design initiative meant to “improve comprehensively the visual presentation and usability of Federal services provided to the public in both digital and physical spaces.”
A new National Design Studio is being set up to facilitate this, led by a chief design officer — with Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia reportedly lined up for the position, according to Reuters.
Gebbia has already been tasked with overhauling the sluggishly paper-based federal retirement process after joining Trump’s DOGE service in February. It’s unclear what direction Gebbia’s design choices will take, but here’s hoping he isn’t too influenced by Trump’s love for all things golden, gaudy, and gilded. Refraining from randomly capitalizing text would also be a bonus.
