Permitting Council

Before you read...

Due to multiple NDAs associated with this role, I am limited to sharing high level information only. Specific details and visual assets cannot be shown publicly.

Saying Yes to One More Challenge

In January 2024, while actively working across Research and Development, Business Operations, USGS, and wrapping up Burris Logistics, my manager at Dynamo asked if I had the capacity to take on one more project. Realistically, my plate was full, but I also felt ready for a new challenge. I said yes.

That decision led me to one of the most ambiguous and high-pressure projects of my time at Dynamo.

A Brand New Agency, Starting from Zero

The client was the Permitting Council, a newly established federal agency founded under the Biden administration. Their mission was to improve the transparency, efficiency, and predictability of the federal permitting process for large infrastructure projects spanning energy, transportation, broadband, manufacturing, and water systems.

Because the agency was brand new, there was no existing website, no content to migrate, no logo, and no established digital presence. We were building everything from the ground up.

A High-Pressure, Multi-Vendor Team

The project team consisted of three groups working in parallel: Dynamo, another contracting company, and government stakeholders. Many of the stakeholders we worked with were appointed directly by the administration, which added a layer of visibility and pressure to the work.

Early on, the stakeholders were transparent about one thing: they did not yet have a clear vision for the website. They were unsure of what it should look like, how it should be structured, or even what content it should prioritize. This uncertainty made it difficult to begin designing in a traditional, linear way.

Designing Before Structure

During requirements gathering, the stakeholders expressed a preference for seeing visual options first, then shaping the site’s information architecture around the design they responded to. While this was a reversal of my usual process, it quickly became clear that the stakeholders were highly visual learners.

To adapt, I created multiple low-fidelity landing page mockups using only USWDS components. With no branding established, everything was presented in greyscale with placeholder content. The goal was not aesthetics, but familiarity, providing layouts that felt immediately recognizable to users accustomed to government websites.

Through a design presentation, I walked stakeholders through each option, outlining the strengths and tradeoffs of each layout. We landed on a simple, conventional structure that emphasized clarity and trust. This approach gave stakeholders confidence and allowed the other contracting team to begin building the site’s information architecture.

Establishing the Brand

With layout direction approved, I shifted focus to branding. This phase required several rounds of iteration with stakeholders to land on a visual identity that felt professional, approachable, and aligned with federal standards.

I presented multiple color palette options highlighting primary, secondary, and accent colors. Once those were approved, typography was finalized quickly due to the constraints and guidance of USWDS. We also aligned on a tone of voice that felt helpful and friendly without sacrificing professionalism.

The only missing piece was the logo, which stakeholders assured us was being developed in parallel. With the information architecture nearly finalized, I had enough clarity to move forward with page-level design.

Building the Foundation

Before moving into high-fidelity work, I created low-fidelity mockups for all core page types, including basic content pages, large content pages, contact, careers, staff listings, staff bios, and a feedback form. Leveraging patterns from BusOps and R&D allowed me to move quickly without sacrificing quality.

After several rounds of review and iteration, all low-fidelity designs were approved within two weeks. With branding finalized, it was time to bring the site to life visually.

A Sudden Reset

High-fidelity mockups came together quickly, and within a week I had a full set ready for stakeholder review. The design clearly reflected the work put into branding and structure, and I was excited to present it.

Then the project took an unexpected turn.

The stakeholders informed us of a leadership change. A new primary stakeholder was assigned and immediately reevaluated the direction of the site. They disagreed with the information being prioritized and requested major structural changes, including the introduction of new sections such as Projects and Agencies.

This forced a return to the information architecture phase. Navigation had to be reworked, new page types designed, and layouts adjusted to support significantly more content. While frustrating, I worked closely with the team to realign the designs with the new direction. It took nearly another month before we were able to return to high-fidelity mockups.

Aligning Under a Tight Deadline

As the launch deadline approached, pressure increased across the team. Thankfully, stakeholders understood the cause of the delay and remained supportive.

I rebuilt the high-fidelity designs with the updated navigation and content structure and linked everything into a working prototype. Given that stakeholders were not particularly tech-savvy, I relied heavily on structured design presentations rather than asking them to navigate Figma directly.

During reviews, I anchored design decisions in USWDS and Section 508 requirements to provide clarity and confidence. When conversations drifted toward placeholder content, I redirected focus to structure, branding, and navigation. This approach helped keep feedback actionable and aligned with the project’s goals.

After several review cycles, stakeholders formally approved the designs for development.

From Design to Launch

Throughout development, I worked closely with the lead developer to ensure the final build matched the mockups precisely. Their attention to detail made collaboration smooth and efficient.

Stakeholders occasionally surfaced enhancement ideas during development, but given prior delays, I carefully communicated the impact those changes would have on the launch timeline. We documented these requests as post-launch enhancements instead.

In December 2024, the Permitting Council website launched successfully and on time. Stakeholders were extremely pleased with the usability and overall design.

An Abrupt End

In January 2025, following an administration change, the stakeholders we worked with exited their roles. Planned post-launch enhancements were never pursued, as new leadership was uncertain whether the agency would continue to exist.

In April 2025, the contract was formally ended due to broader government restructuring efforts. While disappointing, this outcome was unrelated to the quality or success of the work delivered.

The final public site can be viewed at https://www.permitting.gov/

Key Learnings

Ambiguity is part of early-stage government work, and flexibility in process is often more valuable than rigid adherence to best practices.
When stakeholders are visual learners, showing design early can unlock alignment faster than traditional documentation.
Leadership changes can fundamentally alter project direction, and resilience is critical to navigating sudden resets without derailing timelines.
Anchoring design decisions to established frameworks like USWDS and Section 508 builds trust and defuses subjective debate.
Structured design presentations are essential when working with non-technical stakeholders under time constraints.
Successful launches do not always guarantee long-term continuity, especially in the federal space, but delivering quality work remains within the designer’s control.