18F/18f.gsa.gov

---
title: "Human-centered design for IT centralization, part 1 - Why
prioritizing users is important during IT centralization"
date: 2019-04-03
authors:
- erin-strenio
- amy-ashida
tags:
- 10x
- best practices
- it centralization
excerpt: " At 18F, we believe directly engaging users while evaluating IT
centralization will result in services that work better for the people
they serve. As part of a 10x project, we’ve talked to users who
understand how centralization has impacted their day-to-day work and
gathered lessons learned and best practices."
---

*This is the kick-off post in a [series](https://18f.gsa.gov/tags/it-centralization/) of posts on the importance of human-centered design when evaluating IT centralization. As part of a [10x](https://10x.gsa.gov/) project, we've synthesized 18F's learnings from agency partners who’ve been through centralization efforts before and have wisdom to share. The series explores how and why taking the time to prioritize users will mitigate risks and yield services that work better for the people they serve.*

## Bringing users into the conversation

When you read about IT centralization and shared services, you don’t
always hear how users are affected by the process. Instead, the focus is
typically on reduced costs and increased efficiency, often the driving
force behind a centralization effort. User needs aren’t always
prioritized due to limited timelines, limited budgets, and competing
agency pressures.

But allowing for users to inform centralization decisions is critical.
Finding a problem or changing direction after investing six months and
$500,000 into the centralization effort is more cost-effective and
efficient than by discovering it five years and $100 million later.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on centralization efforts that
don't end up delivering value to users. Many guides on centralization
focus on IT as the ends not the means to achieving an agency’s mission.

At 18F, we believe directly engaging users while evaluating IT
centralization will result in services that work better for the people
they serve. This means less rework and fewer support issues down the
road. An iterative process, not a waterfall approach, also decreases
risk. Human-centered design methods can help every step of the way.

## Design and centralization can work together 

A good example of this approach in action is the [U.S. Web Design System](https://v2.designsystem.digital.gov/). With nearly 30,000 U.S
federal websites and almost no consistency between them, it was crucial
to create a centralized, shared design tool to benefit multiple
agencies. It would allow agencies to build consistent, effective,
easy-to-use digital experiences quickly and at a reduced cost. 18F
joined forces with representatives from different federal agencies, and
using human-centered design principles, worked to unify multiple
interfaces, navigation tools, colors, fonts, and other visual
identities.

Since USWDS launched in 2015, over 180 government projects have adopted
the design system. USWDS predicts that agencies save about $100,000 per
project when they use this centralized tool. How’s that for a
centralization success story? [Read more in our case study on USWDS.](https://github.com/18F/HCD_for_IT_Centralization/blob/master/case_study_USWDS.md)

We’ve analyzed other instances of centralization as well, and
unfortunately some didn’t go as expected. We’ve talked to users who
understand how centralization has impacted their day-to-day work and
collected insights about how this plays out.

Our multi-part series shares learnings and best practices from real scenarios, with a focus on the following topics:

-   [Deciding whether or not to centralize](https://18f.gsa.gov/2019/04/11/hcd-for-centralization-series-2-deciding-whether-or-not-to-centralize/)
-   [Working with vendors to build a centralized solution](https://github.com/18F/HCD_for_IT_Centralization/blob/master/working_with_vendors_to_build_a_centralized_solution.md)
-   [What happens after you centralize?](https://github.com/18F/HCD_for_IT_Centralization/blob/master/what_happens_after_you_centralize.md)
-   [Centralization gone right! A case study on the U.S. Web Design System](https://github.com/18F/HCD_for_IT_Centralization/blob/master/case_study_USWDS.md)

While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all method for IT centralization,
there are helpful methods and tools you can incorporate into your
process. Because at the end of the day, the goal of IT centralization
should be to get your users to where they want to be more quickly, and
to do so in a way that is cost-effective and compliant. It’s critical to
keep a user-centered approach throughout this process.

*Next in our series, we’ll help you decide whether or not to centralize
and what to consider when making this decision.*