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Last Updated on Thursday, 07 November 2024 14:22

Published on Tuesday, 05 November 2024 03:05

By: Esen Gokpinar Shelton 

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Gateways 2024 Annual Conference in the scenic town of Bozeman, Montana. With around 110 attendees, the event’s intimate size fostered conversations that inspired and energized me. As a first-time attendee, I quickly found myself immersed in discussions with experts passionate about the future of science gateways, from AI and high-throughput computing to community-driven design. Yet, despite the wide array of technical topics covered, one crucial message stood out to me: the user experience (UX) is key to unlocking the full potential of science gateways. 

The Blueprint Factory and Exploration: A Metaphor for Future Gateways 

One highlight of the conference was the keynote speech titled “Gateways and AI: A Blueprint for Exploration, delivered by Jeanette Sperhac, a Research Software Engineer with the Science

A photo of the keynote speaker, Jeanette Sperhac, presenting at the Gateways 2024 Annual Conference. Photo credit: Unknown, from the conference shared photo folder.

Gateways Center of Excellence (SGX3) at the San Diego Supercomputing Center. Jeanette spoke about the transformative power of AI in science gateways, introducing her concept of the “Blueprint Factory”—a framework designed to help us navigate the future of AI in scientific research. But it wasn’t just her technical insights that left a mark; it was her exploration analogy that resonated with me. 

Jeanette likened the current state of science gateways to the ancient Indo-Roman trade routes—a historical network that connected the Roman Empire to India. Just as ancient traders had to map their routes, figure out who to communicate with, and understand the lay of the land before embarking on their journey, we, too, need to map out our strategy for integrating new technologies into science gateways. “If we’re exploring,” she said, “we’re traveling through unfamiliar territories to learn.” That idea of exploration reminded me of how critical it is to understand not just where we’re going with these technological advances but how we can ensure all researchers, regardless of their background, can benefit from these tools.  

Jeanette’s exploration metaphor didn’t just spark my imagination; it reminded me of the true purpose of science gateways. At their core, gateways are designed to open access—to make advanced computational tools available to those who might otherwise be limited by resources or expertise. Whether you’re a small teaching university or a research powerhouse, science gateways should be the bridge that allows you to do the work you’ve only dreamed of until now. 

From AI to Usability: Why UX Must Lead the Way:  

Jeanette’s keynote also brought up something else: the rapid rise of AI in science gateways. From machine learning models that optimize workflows to AI-driven recommenders like the one used by nanoHUB, AI is undeniably reshaping the landscape of research computing. But amid all this technical excitement, I kept coming back to a central question: How do we ensure users can harness these advancements? 

As Jeanette pointed out, tools like nanoHUB’s "Recommender" feature offer personalized, Netflix-style suggestions for users based on past behaviors. It’s a perfect example of AI enhancing the user experience—simplifying choices, reducing friction, and making research workflows more intuitive. But for AI to truly succeed in gateways, we must go beyond technical implementation. We must design with the user in mind. 

This is where UX becomes pivotal. It’s one thing to build AI-powered tools; it’s another to ensure that they are accessible, intuitive, and user-friendly for a broad range of researchers—many of whom don’t have a deep technical background. During a "Birds of a Feather" session on AI that Jeannette and her team conducted during the PEARC conference, it became clear that while AI holds immense promise, it also surfaces challenges around usability, ethics, and data processing. These are precisely the kinds of challenges that good UX can help mitigate. 

Science Gateways and UX: A Conversation That Needs to Grow: 

A snapshot of group work session using the "nose picking" method to brainstorm ideas for leveraging AI in science gateways. Our team in the back focused on how UX could enhance these solutions. Photo credit: Unknown, from the conference shared photo folder.

While the AI discussions stole much of the spotlight, the UX-related talks at the conference were where I saw the most opportunity for growth. A session led by SGX3’s User Experience Consulting Lead, Paul C. Parsons and his team shed light on how UX is often underappreciated in the world of science gateways. Their research revealed that while many developers acknowledge the importance of good design, it often takes a backseat to technical functionality. And yet, if we want these tools to serve a wider audience—especially those without deep technical expertise—user experience must be prioritized from day one. 

This sentiment was echoed in countless conversations, where I found myself constantly discussing

how to make these platforms more intuitive. UX isn’t just about aesthetics or branding; it’s about creating seamless workflows, reducing cognitive load, and ensuring that even the most complex tools can be navigated by anyone, regardless of their background. 

A shot of my colleague and me fielding questions during our presentation at the Gateways 2024 Annual Conference. Photo credit: Unknown, from the conference shared photo folder.

The Event Horizon Telescope Gateway: A Case for UX in Action

Our own presentation on the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Science Gateway reinforced the same idea. Along with my colleague, Rob Quick, we showcased how we’ve been working to make the Open Science Grid (OSG) more accessible for the astronomy community. The EHT project, famous for producing the first images of black holes, relies on powerful high-throughput computing resources. But one of our biggest challenges is ensuring that researchers—especially those without extensive computational skills—can use those resources. 

Our approach has been to design a targeted gateway platform that centers around the user’s needs—integrating complex workflows into a simpler, more intuitive interface using the Apache Airavata framework. The result?  It is a tool that makes the computational power of OSG accessible to a broader community of scientists, enabling them to push the boundaries of their research without getting bogged down by technical barriers. It’s a perfect example of why UX matters—without good design, even the most advanced technology remains out of reach. 

Looking Ahead: Designing for Impact:  

A glimpse of the audienc engaged during a session at the Gateways 2024 Annual Conference. Photo credit: Unknown, from the conference shared photo folder.

Reflecting on the Gateways 2024 Conference, I’m more convinced than ever that the future of science gateways lies at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and thoughtful design. While innovations like AI will continue to drive technical advancements, we must ensure that these gateways are designed with real users in mind—from small university researchers to large-scale national projects. 

As we look ahead, I see an exciting future for science gateways, but one that will require a continued emphasis on UX. By prioritizing user experience from the beginning, we can create gateways that revolutionize scientific research and make it more inclusive, accessible, and impactful for everyone. 

Until next year, Science Gateways!