President Obama orders federal agencies to optimize sites for smartphones and tablets

President Obama has issued a directive to urge major government agencies to focus on the “growing mobile revolution.” In a note issued by The White House this week, Obama says “it is time for the Federal Government to do more” to assist American people using Government services on smartphones or tablets. “American people have been forced to navigate a labyrinth of information across different Government programs in order to find the services they need,” says Obama, while highlighting the trend of people paying bills and buying tickets on mobile devices.

A new strategy, entitled “Digtital Government: Building a 21st Century Platform to Better Serve the American People,” was issued this week with a 12-month roadmap for agencies to implement mobile friendly services. Agencies will need to publicly report on their progress within 90 days at a digital strategy site. Obama believes the use of technology is “fundamentally transforming” how American people do business and the steps to focus on mobile and web-based technologies will serve as a strategy to deliver information in new ways to American citizens.