Over 850 people registered for Drupal GovCon 2025, and the Bixal team showed up in full force as a long-time sponsor, a training leader, and a presenter of six insightful sessions. It was an inspiring event, but the biggest takeaways extended far beyond any single tool or platform. 

The questions, conversations, and practical guidance shared throughout the event reflected the broader challenges government teams face today in delivering better public services, regardless of their tech stack.  

Whether you work in government, design, development, or digital strategy, these five key takeaways from Drupal GovCon 2025 offer valuable insight into building smarter, more effective services for the public. 

1. AI Combined with Human-Centered Design is the Future 

For public services to be truly effective, they must meet people where they are. At Drupal GovCon, we saw great presentations around simplifying AI tools for internal teams and making platforms easier for the public to use.

A recurring theme we observed was how AI and emerging technologies can improve—not replace—human-centered design. Whether through chatbots, automation, or content strategy, the emphasis was clear: AI must be built with people in mind. It's about augmenting human capabilities and understanding, ensuring technology serves real needs. 

Explore this session:  

• The Importance of UX Research in Creating Effective AI with Ivonne Carrillo: Understand why successful AI tools—like chatbots—begin with listening, testing, and iteration.
• Browse more GovCon2025 sessions that explore how AI and digital design intersect in the public sector. 

2. Adaptable Systems Help Teams Do More with Less 

In an era of tight budgets and rising public expectations, government agencies are being asked to scale fast, without sacrificing quality or security. This challenge highlights the critical role of modular architecture, reusable components, and design systems.  

Adaptable systems don’t just reduce duplication and streamline onboarding, they also ensure services remain consistent across teams and partners. When implemented effectively, adaptable systems create a foundation for continuous innovation, preventing the need to reinvent the wheel for every new initiative. 

Explore this session: 

• Enhancing Code Reusability on SBA.gov Using Single Directory Components and Recipes with Andrew Predmore & Bernardo Martinez: Grab these real-world lessons of how SBA.gov used structured code practices to manage complexity and deliver faster. 

3. Empowering Editorial Teams Improves Speed, Quality, and Trust 

Just as adaptable systems underpin technical innovation, empowered editorial teams are crucial for delivering timely and trusted information.  When emergencies strike or policies shift, content teams are often the first to respond. They're responsible for delivering accurate, timely, and accessible information to the public, sometimes across multiple platforms and in record time.  

However, outdated content management systems, over-reliance on developers, and rigid publishing workflows can create significant bottlenecks.

At Drupal GovCon, we saw powerful examples of how user-friendly editorial tools and low-code solutions empower content teams to do their jobs better, without unnecessary hurdles or burnout. When content teams have the right tools, it leads to faster updates, clearer information, and ultimately to more trust in government services. 

Explore these sessions: 

• Up and Running with DrupalCMS with Saurav Shrestha: Discover how low-code tools and Recipes enable agencies to publish faster and reduce dependency on developers.
• Happy Editing: Embed UI Components in CKEditor Using Embedded Content with Matt Poole: Learn how improving the editorial experience can reduce delivery bottlenecks and empower public information teams. 

4. Config Solutions Directly Shape User Experience 

Beyond empowering editorial teams with better tools, the underlying configurations profoundly impact the effectiveness of digital services. It's easy to focus solely on the public-facing side of digital services, but the back-end experience for admins and developers is just as critical. Poorly designed internal tools can lead to errors, security risks, and delayed updates, eroding efficiency and trust from within.

During Drupal GovCon, we explored how thoughtful improvements to settings, workflows, and content governance can dramatically improve service quality. Cleaner, more intuitive admin interfaces reduce confusion and risk, especially for teams managing complex, fast-moving platforms, directly translating into a smoother and more reliable public user experience. 

Explore this session: 

• Config Pages: The Missing Admin UI for Your Custom Site Settings with Anna Femath: Find out why using content types to manage settings is risky, and what to do instead for a cleaner, more secure admin experience. 

5. Strong Transitions Set Projects Up for Long-Term Success 

Finally, ensuring that all these innovations—from AI-powered design to adaptable systems and empowered teams—have a lasting impact relies heavily on effective transitions. In government work, few things are truly one-and-done. Teams change, contracts end,  and priorities shift. But when transitions between teams or vendors are handled poorly, even the most promising digital projects can unravel.

Sustainable delivery requires more than great code; it needs intentional knowledge transfer, strong documentation, and trusted relationships. The best teams treat transitions not as handoffs, but as an integral part of the project lifecycle, ensuring continuity and long-term success. 

Explore this session: 

• The Handoff: Guide to Drupal Project Transitions in the public Realm with Ray Estrada & Lizzi Pittman: Get practical advice on avoiding chaos and setting up your successor (and your project) for success. 

Revisit the Drupal GovCon 2025 Highlights 

We were proud to lead a hands-on training on how to build and maintain a design system—drawing from James Mejia and Ray Estrada’s experiences with the U.S. Web Design System—and to connect with so many peers and practitioners across the community.  

A huge thank you to Drupal4Gov for organizing this impactful event and continuing to grow and improve it year after year. We also want to thank every speaker, attendee, and partner who made this event so memorable. A special shoutout to all our presenters for bringing real-world experience and practical tools to the Drupal GovCon stage. 
 
Missed a session? Watch all the recordings here.