A new approach is required for developing phila.gov if we want to build a municipal website that put the public first in all respects. Our design principles help encapsulate our values and guide our work.

Much of phila.gov and other government web tools were designed first to meet the needs of government, not the public. We want to turn that around and put the public first.

Public servants work hard every day to serve Philadelphians, but most of that work goes unseen. We're trying to use technology to make that process easier -- easier for departments to tell their stories and for the public to find them.