Paul Smith
Paul Smith's blog posts
What AI and Large Language Models can bring to government
As artificial intelligence (AI) tools begin to transform technology in general, they too are making their mark in government. At Ad Hoc, drawing on our practical experience with our federal customers and extensive prototyping and research, we believe AI tools present a valuable opportunity.
Pushup: a new tool for creating dynamic web apps
To build and maintain server-side web applications faster and easier, we’ve created a new tool: Pushup. We designed Pushup for the Go programming language as a page-oriented, server-side web framework, similar to applications developed in PHP, Ruby on Rails, and Django for Python.
A look under the hood of the new student loan debt relief application
As we did with covidtests.gov, let’s take a quick look and see what we can learn about the implementation of this application from a systems design perspective.
Examining the covidtests.gov architecture
A day early, the Biden Administration has quietly launched the new website that allows households to order four COVID-19 rapid antigen tests.
Embarrassingly automatable as the first step of legacy modernization
Perhaps it’s time for an equivalent of Maslow’s classic hierarchy of needs, but for legacy modernization projects.
A path to transforming the nation’s unemployment insurance systems
The time is ripe to rethink how the nation’s unemployment systems, many of which still rely on manual and paper-based processes, can be improved through new technology and approaches.
How to start improving your COVID-19 vaccination digital service
We’ve gathered a short list of ways state and local governments can improve their services now and prepare for the upcoming phases of the vaccination rollout.
Why Ad Hoc is offering free COVID-19 vaccination consulting
We're offering an hour of free consultation to any U.S. government operating a COVID-19 vaccination website or mobile app. There’s no catch, just contact us, and we’ll help you.
Getting ready for launch
Launches can be unpredictable. Having a plan for launch can help you focus on that which you can control and set you up to recover more quickly should things go wrong.
Imagining an app to simplify student loan forgiveness
What’s needed is a simple, purpose-built website to help borrowers apply for loan forgiveness, and help them stay enrolled in payment programs.
The problem might not be COBOL
The government's problem isn’t using old code or older programming languages. The problem is often that they’re using code that wasn’t designed to meet the needs of people who use it.
Ad Hoc statement on Black lives matter
We at Ad Hoc denounce police violence, intimidation, and oppression, which is antithetical to a free, equitable democracy.
Becoming stewards of the social infrastructure
As an organization committed to improving social infrastructure, we must also put our research, design, product, and engineering skills to work on all aspects of public service delivery.
Validating business rules and building confidence through tests
Digital transformation or legacy modernization efforts, while motivated by concerns such as finances, new technology, or shifting priorities, can be risky endeavors from a logistical perspective, and are often dominated by the needs of operations.
Stop your (business rules) engines!
One of the many surprising artifacts of the initial failed HealthCare.gov launch was a “business rules engine.” This was a new concept for most of the team that helped rescue the site.
The HealthCare.gov rescue
In the days following the initial launch of HealthCare.gov, Greg Gershman and Paul Smith, who would eventually go on to found Ad Hoc, joined a group gathered to rescue the site.