President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 21 launching the “America by Design” programme, which creates a National Design Studio and the new post of Chief Design Officer to modernise federal digital and physical services. The White House said the studio will advise agencies on streamlining user interfaces, reducing duplicative design costs and applying consistent standards across government touch-points. Under the order, the temporary studio will operate for three years and shut down on Aug. 21, 2028. Federal departments must present initial progress reports to the White House by July 4, 2026. The Internal Revenue Service has been identified by aides as an early candidate for an overhaul, reflecting long-standing complaints about the usability of tax-filing systems. Two officials familiar with the plan told Reuters that Trump intends to appoint Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia as the government’s first Chief Design Officer. Gebbia, who has already worked on streamlining federal retirement processes, would report to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and lead the new studio. Administration officials said the initiative is a slimmer successor to the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which was overseen by former adviser Elon Musk until his departure in May. While DOGE focused on broad cost-cutting, America by Design is aimed at improving the appearance and functionality of the roughly 26,000 public-facing federal websites and related physical services.