When Congress passed the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act, otherwise known as 21st Century IDEA, in December of 2018, the goal was to improve the overall digital customer experience for government customers.

At its core, 21st Century IDEA was to move agencies towards digital government by setting goals and deadlines for agencies to transform their operations and improve user experience for digital services. This would be done through improving website design and creating consistent user experiences online that are mobile friendly, implementing online digital forms for easier enrollment in services and adoption of electronic signatures to streamline workflows, speed-up service delivery and reduce costs.

In the first year, progress was made across government towards modernization. However, the COVID pandemic suddenly forced the government to accelerate its move to a "digital first" strategy.