Insights
Human-centered design
How to adapt agentic AI for caseworkers
Four design guidelines to adapt agentic AI-powered tools for caseworkers: transparency, oversight prompts, intervention controls, and plain language.
America 300: Outcomes for people first
In the next 50 years of the United States, we hope government agencies can prioritize outcomes for people first, above all else.
How to scope and define human-centered agentic AI tools
Nava Labs shares the decisions that come before implementing agentic AI: what problem to choose, how to scope the agent, and how to evaluate.
Nava Labs Demo Day: Piloting a Form-Filling Assistant
See what we’re learning as we pilot a Form-Filling Assistant that helps caseworkers complete application forms across multiple benefit programs.
Nava receives AWS Advanced Tier Services Partner status
This designation recognizes Nava’s proven success helping government partners adopt cloud technology.
Nava-Focus joint venture to support the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Technology
Our joint venture will help develop an online module to support the review and determination of passport applications.
Nava publishes 2025 Public Benefit Report
We’re shaping a more effective, integrated, and human-centered digital services ecosystem by working backward from the outcomes we want to achieve..
Leveraging user research to deliver excellent paid leave services in Massachusetts
Nava is conducting user research with Massachusetts DFML to help improve experiences for applicants, employers, and DFML staff.
Building a trustworthy AI chatbot
Nava Labs is prototyping and piloting an AI chatbot for caseworkers to use when helping families find and enroll in public benefit programs.
Nava awarded contract supporting Alaska with benefit administration
We’ll work with Alaska to modernize the state’s eligibility information system and integrated eligibility services for public benefit programs.
Nava selected for contract supporting Maryland digital services
Under the seven-year contract, we’ll help Maryland state agencies leverage agile practices to improve digital experiences for residents.
5 takeaways from Nava Labs' site visit to California
The Nava Labs team visited Family Resource Centers in Riverside County, California to conduct field research and meet with key partners.
Nava awarded contract with Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care
We’ll help the Commonwealth of Massachusetts build systems that connect families with child care financial assistance opportunities.
Nava Labs Demo Day: Developing an Assistive Chatbot
See Nava’s AI-powered chatbot that assists caseworkers connecting families with public benefits — now piloting in Los Angeles.
Nava wins work helping Minnesota build their Paid Leave program
We’ll help Minnesota deliver a program that’s human-centered, adaptable, and resilient.
Reshaping government service delivery with DevEx
Learn how DevEx goes beyond traditional service design practices by optimizing the entire technical ecosystem.
Nava awarded contract on VA ART with Oddball, Inc.
We’ll help the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs improve tools for those who help Veterans and their families submit benefits claims.
Nava and Focus win prime award supporting Internal Revenue Service (IRS) IT
The Focus-Nava Joint Venture will provide strategic advisory support as the IRS enhances its modern, customer-based IT operations.
7 steps to develop a government communications program
Learn how to build a robust program to communicate with the public and stakeholders effectively.
Nava wins OPM Customer Experience Modernization
We’ll partner with OPM to build best-in-class customer experiences for millions of federal employees.
Nava awarded prime contract on Maryland FAMLI
We’ll partner with Maryland to build and launch a new paid family and medical leave program that’s human-centered, flexible, and future-proof.
Leveraging user research to improve unemployment insurance delivery
We partnered with the Department of Labor on a user research initiative aimed at providing states with human-centered modernization recommendations.
Empowering Department of Justice staff with human-centered tools
We partnered with DOJ on a project aimed at improving the agency staff experience, helping staff process civil rights complaints more effectively.
Improving perinatal care in the U.S.
We partnered with CMS on a project to connect pregnant people to “Birthing-Friendly” hospitals.
Nava awarded prime contract to scale Grants.gov modernization
We’ll help HHS scale its modernization of Grants.gov with incremental delivery, API-first architecture, and human-centered design.
Bridging the gap between policy and implementation in academia
How university programs in public policy and administration might offer students a foundation that bridges policymaking and policy implementation.
Measuring administrative burden to promote equity in government services
Don Moynihan of Georgetown University joins Nava CEO and co-founder Rohan Bhobe in a conversation about administrative burden.
Nava Labs Demo Day: Research on AI Tools for Caseworkers
The team will share early experiments with applying AI capabilities to a set of research-driven use cases for supporting benefit navigators.
Using a data journey map to improve your DevEx practice
Learn practical tips for improving your team's DevEx practice with a data-focused journey map.
Helping families access public benefits with AI and automation
Join us for a panel discussion about the future of AI in government and a light lunch.
Nava awarded SEC modernization contract
We’re supporting the SEC's modernization goals to become more resilient and adaptable by developing cloud-based infrastructure.
WIC Participant Recertification Portal Demo Day 2
During this demo day, we will share a demonstration of the participant recertification portal and staff review portal.
Recoding America: A Conversation with Jennifer Pahlka, Yadira Sanchez, and Jodi Leo
Author, Jen Pahlka, and Public Servant, Yadira Sanchez discuss "Recoding America."
Designing the unseen: Enabling institutions to build public trust
Five Nava designers explain how design can contribute to behind-the-scenes service improvement in government.
Designing an eligibility screener tool for Montana WIC
Nava worked with Montana’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) agency to help ease the enrollment process.
Designing an API prototype for Montana WIC
Nava worked with the state of Montana’s WIC agency to build an API prototype, helping ease data management and informing a national API standard.
WIC Participant Recertification Portal Demo Day 1
Nava envisions a future where digital tools make it easier for families to receive benefits through WIC
Meeting people where they are with community engagement
When it comes to public service technology, human-centered design and agile development can support a state’s broader community engagement efforts.
Becoming a civic designer: Making the move from private to public sector
Join us for a discussion about making the move from private to public sector at Civic Design 2022
Civic Design 2022: Designing the unseen
Join us for a discussion about enabling institutions to build public trust at Civic Design 2022
Building public benefit claims trackers across states
What we learned helping design and build public benefits claims trackers for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as well as the state of California.
How small pilots helped us prototype a benefits claim fast tracker
We built tools to help get Veterans critical healthcare when they need it.
Testing accessibility at every step of designing and building technology
Improving accessibility to public services with an online application for a state's Medicaid for the aged, blind, and disabled (ABD) supplement.
WIC Demonstration Day Three
Nava PBC and the state of Montana will host our third webinar to share progress and learnings of our demonstration project.
Automating how application teams use CMS Cloud
By automating and standardizing the way CMS onboards application teams, Nava helped reduce the onboarding time from months to hours.
Why human-centered testing is crucial to building government software
At Nava, we’ve leaned into modern and open-source frontend testing options to ensure seamless experiences for the constituents we serve.
WIC Demonstration Day One
Nava and the state of Montana will host our first webinar to share progress and learnings of our demonstration project.
Envision the Future: Paid family and medical leave
Policy, technology, and government experts discuss the future of implementing paid family and medical leave programs across the nation.
Envision the Future: Lifting the time tax
Join us for a panel discussion on what it takes to make interactions with government less of a burden.
Use the U.S. Web Design System and focus on bigger challenges
Instead of creating a design system from scratch, use the U.S. Web Design System to save time and resources.
Repeatable, sustainable processes for building benefits systems
Reusing, expanding, and iterating on proven practices is essential to quickly and effectively meeting people’s needs.
Power your mission: How to set goals
Before you start, you should define what program outcomes you want your technology product to help you achieve.
Power your mission: How to build technology
Learn our guiding principles for managing a human-centered technology build, like setting your project up for success or using a modular approach.
Power your mission: How to engage users and iterate
Rather than building your product based on assumptions of what users want, engage users throughout the building process to truly meet their needs.
Power your mission: How to measure success
Measuring implementation helps determine whether your technology product can achieve your desired outcomes.
Designing a more personal healthcare experience
Nava is working to design a more seamless, personal, and integrated experience for Medicare beneficiaries.
To quickly help people in a crisis, start with user research
Starting with user research ensures that what you build will give people the help they need, when they need it.
Supporting Veterans with virtual tele-hearings
During the pandemic, Nava partnered with VA to build virtual tele-hearings so that Veterans could have benefits hearings wherever they choose.
Shaping policy with design practices
With human-centered design practices like user research and prototyping, Nava designed a set of digital tools and helped update an 85-year-old policy.
How to create a service blueprinting facilitation guide
This guide will help you create a service blueprint to better understand a service, unite teams, and identify opportunities for improvement.
Helping Veterans find, understand, and use information about benefits
Nava built a new Veterans Affairs website and streamlined existing ones to help Veterans find, understand, and use information about benefits.
Form design approaches for downstream effects & nonlinear navigation
How we approached nonlinear navigation, answer changing, and more challenges when building a new eligibility form for HealthCare.gov.
Structuring a complex eligibility form for HealthCare.gov
How we determined the sequencing of questions and design patterns to break a complex form into digestible chunks.
Providing help and guidance to HealthCare.gov applicants
How our design team created respectful and clear guidance through the deeply personal process of applying for healthcare.
Introducing a modern design system for HealthCare.gov
A design system helps ensure that HeathCare.gov is Section 508-compliant and easy to use for everyone.
Building a design system for HealthCare.gov
Alongside the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nava created an open source design system for HealthCare.gov.
