Redesigning that first encounter with online government

User-experience designer Samuel Hulick is partnering with a pair of Code for America fellows to encourage the public to do the same for, say, the process of applying for food stamps. It's called CitizenOnboard.

Using the original UserOnboard is like taking a tour through some of the digital sites you know best -- but with an especially design-savvy friend by your side pointing out the kinks. "The user experience," or UX on these sites, "is often tacked on haphazardly," says Hulick, who launched UserOnboard in December 2013 and who is also the author of the recent book "The Elements of User Onboarding." What's he looking for in a good UX, he says, is something non-designers can spot, too. "If you were the Web site, what tone would you take? How would you guide people through your process?"