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SPECIFICTION
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U.S. Web Design System

designsystem.digital.gov

Free plan WebSelf-hosted
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Spec score 7.1 #24 of 26 in UI Kit Libraries

What it is

U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) is an open-source toolkit for government teams creating accessible, mobile-friendly websites. It combines principles, guidance, and code with components that include user-experience, accessibility, and implementation guidance. Teams get patterns, design tokens, utilities, and page templates, then install and compile the system to customize projects. Node and npm are the recommended setup, and USWDS can be added as an npm dependency. Downloadable design kits support Figma and Sketch. USWDS says its guidance and code address Section 508 and 21st Century IDEA requirements from the outset. Version 3.0 supports Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, but not Internet Explorer 11. Security practices include Snyk dependency checks, CodeQL analysis, release vulnerability reports, and patches for 1.x and 2.x branches. It is free to download and self-host.

Spec sheet

Purpose
USWDS is a toolkit of principles, guidance, and code for building accessible, mobile-friendly government websites.Read 8 Oct 2026 · designsystem.digital.gov
Integrations
The recommended developer setup uses Node and npm, and the system can be installed as a project dependency through npm.Read 8 Oct 2026 · designsystem.digital.gov
Security
The team reports using Snyk for dependency vulnerability checks and GitHub CodeQL for JavaScript static analysis on pull requests.Read 8 Oct 2026 · designsystem.digital.gov
Support
Users can ask questions in GitHub Discussions or email the USWDS team at [email protected].Read 8 Oct 2026 · designsystem.digital.gov
Founded
2015Read 28 Sep 2026 · designsystem.digital.gov
Accessibility and compliance
USWDS says its principles, guidance, and code address Section 508 and 21st Century IDEA requirements from the start.Read 8 Oct 2026 · designsystem.digital.gov
Audience and community
USWDS is designed for government teams and is maintained by an open source community whose contributors support dozens of agencies and nearly 200 sites.Read 8 Oct 2026 · designsystem.digital.gov
Browser support
The developer guide says version 3.0 supports Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, and no longer supports Internet Explorer 11.Read 8 Oct 2026 · designsystem.digital.gov
Components
The system includes components with user experience, accessibility, and implementation guidance.Read 8 Oct 2026 · designsystem.digital.gov
Customization
Developers can install and compile the system, then customize projects with components and design tokens.Read 8 Oct 2026 · designsystem.digital.gov
Design assets
The download page offers design kits for Figma and Sketch.Read 8 Oct 2026 · designsystem.digital.gov
Patterns and design tools
USWDS provides pattern guidance, design tokens, utilities, and page templates.Read 8 Oct 2026 · designsystem.digital.gov
Security releases
USWDS says it includes a security and vulnerability report with each release and releases security patches for the 1.x and 2.x branches.Read 8 Oct 2026 · designsystem.digital.gov

Plans and prices

USWDS Free Open source design system · Code and design assets available to download Read 8 Oct 2026 · designsystem.digital.gov

Every U.S. Web Design System plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Open-source code and design assets
  • Components include accessibility guidance
  • Patterns, tokens, utilities, and templates
  • Figma and Sketch kits available
  • Commercial license scope

Limits

  • Internet Explorer 11 is unsupported
  • Requires installation and compilation
  • Self-hosted setup uses Node and npm

Who it suits

Government teams and developers building accessible, responsive public websites. It suits projects that can use Node, npm, and self-hosted tooling.

Verdict

USWDS provides government-focused design guidance, reusable code, and downloadable assets at no cost. Teams should account for its tooling requirements and current browser support.

Where Specifiction places it

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