America by Design Fail
Key topics
The website "America by Design Fail" has sparked a lively debate about its intentionally jarring design, with some commenters seeing it as a parody of the real "America by Design" government site, while others are drawing parallels to other provocative websites like "Programming Motherfucker". As the discussion unfolds, it becomes clear that the site's aesthetic is a deliberate choice, with some interpreting it as a commentary on the state of government design or a reflection of a "rage-vibe" ethos. Meanwhile, others are trying to decipher the site's purpose and creators, with theories ranging from a designer's prank to a larger commentary on bureaucratic dysfunction. The thread is captivating because it reveals how a simple website can become a Rorschach test for people's perceptions of design, government, and satire.
Snapshot generated from the HN discussion
Discussion Activity
Light discussionFirst comment
8h
Peak period
4
12-15h
Avg / period
1.8
Based on 11 loaded comments
Key moments
- 01Story posted
Aug 26, 2025 at 4:53 PM EDT
4 months ago
Step 01 - 02First comment
Aug 27, 2025 at 1:01 AM EDT
8h after posting
Step 02 - 03Peak activity
4 comments in 12-15h
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Step 03 - 04Latest activity
Aug 28, 2025 at 6:54 PM EDT
4 months ago
Step 04
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Except not a caricature, because the gov website is even worse.
18F [1] was the government’s design group, and did incredible work to improve the level of visual, UX, and UI design as well as usability across federal government websites. They created standards, led trainings and workshops, and were a go-to resource for people in and outside of the government.
You may have heard about the US Digital Service, but 18F were equally rockstar-level in the local community. Highly dedicated civil servants who were very good at what they did and very good at communicating it to others.
In May, DOGE unceremoniously gutted the department and shut it down.
Thankfully, they’ve archived their guides on an external site [2]. I didn’t even work for the federal government but I used to use these all the time when I was a product manager.
If you happen to see a resume come across your desk from someone who worked at 18F, jump on that. You’re lucky.
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/18F
[2] https://guides.18f.org/
In other words, the murdering of sanity in government has just began, many will suffer, none of the people who supported this lunacy will escape the suffering, but of course, telling them that is a complete waste of time.
https://americabydesign.gov
"Ok, I'm imagining myself as a fentanyl dealer. Now I don't want to go to jail for selling fentanyl. Someone died from overdosing on my fentanyl and I don't want to get caught."
"Wow I guess we don't want to put drug dealers in jail then."
Couldn't Mariann Budde advance a much more productive conversation by being empathetic with someone like, say, me?