Overview

Bad forms aren’t just annoying — they’re costing government agencies billions.
​Every year, Americans spend an estimated 9.78 billion hours filling out government paperwork, costing over $150 billion in lost productivity and administrative overhead. And yet, only 2% of federal forms are fully digitized. The rest? Static PDFs, outdated paper processes, and digital “forms” that frustrate citizens and overwhelm staff.

It’s time to fix this.

Forms touch nearly every interaction between government and the public — from applying for food assistance to renewing a driver’s license. Yet despite their ubiquity, too many forms remain confusing, inaccessible, and inefficient, creating unnecessary friction for millions of Americans seeking help.

The consequences are real:

• Only 2% of federal forms are fully digitized (U.S. Digital Service).
• 9.78 billion hours are spent annually completing federal paperwork.
• This translates into more than $150 billion each year in lost productivity and administrative costs (OIRA, 2023).

For citizens, poorly designed forms feel like bureaucratic barriers. For agencies, they delay service delivery, increase errors, and drain staff resources.

Digital Forms & Online Service Delivery is a results-driven, interactive training built for public sector leaders who want to change that. Across two intensive half-day sessions, you’ll learn how to:

• Eliminate inefficiencies and reduce administrative burden.
• Improve data accuracy through smart design and validation techniques.
• Build public trust with accessible, user-friendly forms that work for everyone.
• Modernize outdated processes, moving from static PDFs to dynamic, mobile-friendly digital services.
• Measure true success, using metrics that connect to real service outcomes.

Led by Shelly Smith, former designer at the U.S. Digital Service and current Design Research Lead at Service Design Collective, this course blends user-centered design thinking with deep government expertise. You’ll leave with a clear, actionable roadmap for making your forms faster, smarter, and more human — and for proving the impact of those changes to leadership.

Key Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Understand when a form is needed—and when it isn’t
• Design forms that are easier to complete and less error-prone
• Apply accessibility and plain language principles to all form types
• Build user feedback loops into their form development process
• Move beyond paper and PDFs toward fully digitized service delivery
• Apply best practices to protect user data and maintain trust