A Claude skill package modeling the public role of Joe Gebbia as Chief Design Officer of the National Design Studio (NDS) — operating under Executive Order 14338 ("Improving Our Nation Through Better Design," signed August 21, 2025) toward the July 4, 2026 deadline for visible federal-service modernization.
Version: 1.1.0 · Status: Draft · License: TBD
Government services should feel modern, coherent, easy to use, and worthy of national confidence.
🎨 Live specimen: augustave.github.io/NDS 📦 Download: v1.1.0 release (zip, 51 KB)
A three-file skill package, plus worked examples and an editorial promo page, that turns the America by Design research base into operational agent documentation.
It does not impersonate Joe Gebbia as a private person. It models the public role — a private-sector founder-designer applying product design, hospitality thinking, design systems, and operational speed to federal services.
All files live under joe_gebbia_nds_skill_package/.
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
SKILL.md |
Single-agent CDO skill. 7 doctrine pillars, 7-phase methodology, response template. |
SWARM.md |
Multi-agent orchestration. 10 agents, parallel diagnosis + redesign sprint, 14-criterion launch gate. |
NDS_KB.md |
Canonical knowledge base. Cited legal frameworks, strategic tensions with watch indicators, measurement baselines, canonical service archetypes, AI use boundaries, glossary. |
README.md |
Package-level readme with full changelog. |
hello-nds.html |
Editorial-brutalist single-page promo specimen. |
The package ships with two end-to-end demonstrations against canonical service archetypes from the KB. Read these first to see what the skill actually produces.
| Example | Skill | Dominant tension | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRS Payment Portal | SKILL.md |
Speed vs. Compliance | Friction map, USWDS-aligned digital redesign, Taxpayer Assistance Center translation, §508 / §504 / 21st Century IDEA Act / Plain Writing Act review, 12 success metrics |
| FEMA Disaster Recovery | SWARM.md |
Aesthetic Authority vs. Local Context | All 10 agents with structured handoffs; ends with 3 blocking red flags traced to Phase 1–2 fixes. The hardest archetype on purpose. |
- Make the government legible. Where am I, what can I do, what's needed, what happens next, who is responsible.
- Cut useless friction. Keep necessary friction. Remove duplicate forms, repeated logins, PDF-only flows. Preserve identity verification, fraud prevention, appeal rights.
- Design consistency is public infrastructure. USWDS is not decoration.
- Design for the citizen under stress. Retirement, taxes, disability, immigration, disaster recovery.
- Connect the screen to the room. Digital flows must map to paper forms, signage, front-desk scripts, kiosks.
- AI as acceleration. Not authority. AI does not adjudicate eligibility, certify accessibility, or replace human escalation.
- Standardize without erasing local context. Tribal nations, rural/offline users, multilingual communities, disability-specific service lines.
Every assessment names which of these is dominant. Watch indicators in NDS_KB.md.
- Speed vs. Compliance
- Brand vs. Democracy
- AI Acceleration vs. Institutional Memory
- Aesthetic Authority vs. Local Context
- Private-Sector Talent vs. Conflict of Interest
SWARM.md decomposes a full-service redesign across:
| # | Agent | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coordinator (CDO / Studio Lead) | executive_synthesis.md |
| 2 | Civic Research | research_brief.md |
| 3 | Service Blueprint | service_blueprint.md |
| 4 | Design System | design_system_gap_analysis.md |
| 5 | Accessibility (§508 / WCAG 2.0 AA) | accessibility_review.md |
| 6 | Physical Environment | physical_touchpoint_blueprint.md |
| 7 | Policy & Risk | risk_register.md |
| 8 | Implementation | implementation_roadmap.md |
| 9 | Communications | communications_packet.md |
| 10 | Brand Architect (new in 1.1.0) | brand_system_brief.md |
Grounded in actual statute and standard. The skill names these explicitly; it is not a substitute for legal counsel.
- EO 14338 — "Improving Our Nation Through Better Design" (Aug 21, 2025)
- Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (2018 ICT Refresh, harmonized with WCAG 2.0 AA)
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (2018)
- Plain Writing Act of 2010
- U.S. Web Design System (USWDS)
| You want to… | Use |
|---|---|
| Run a quick advisory assessment of a federal service | Load SKILL.md as system prompt; reference NDS_KB.md |
| Do a full multi-disciplinary service redesign | Load SWARM.md; run the 10-agent workflow with structured handoffs |
| Understand the operating context before doing anything | Read NDS_KB.md |
| See what the skill actually produces | Read the worked examples |
| Share the package | Distribute the v1.1.0 zip |
This package does not attempt to reproduce private thoughts, personal beliefs, or undisclosed strategy from Joe Gebbia. It models a public role, a public mandate, and a public design posture based on available research.
It is illustrative — not an official NDS deliverable, not legal advice, and not a procurement recommendation.
NDS/
├── README.md ← you are here
├── index.html redirect → promo specimen
├── joe_gebbia_nds_skill_package.zip v1.1.0 distributable
└── joe_gebbia_nds_skill_package/
├── README.md package-level readme + changelog
├── SKILL.md single-agent CDO skill
├── SWARM.md 10-agent orchestration
├── NDS_KB.md canonical knowledge base
├── hello-nds.html editorial promo specimen
└── examples/
├── irs-payment-portal-assessment.md SKILL.md worked run
└── fema-disaster-recovery-swarm.md SWARM.md worked run
Built for the National Design Studio mandate. Operating under EO 14338. Aimed at July 4, 2026.