Design Tools for Gateway Interface Ecosystems: A Socio-Ecological Approach

Journal article

Science gateways provide different interfaces to the same underlying toolset based upon the needs of different members of a specific community. However, as the aperture of the targeted community widens and we seek to address the challenges facing science across all of modern society, this approach becomes untenable. No single interface, no matter how intelligent, can serve the needs of every community in every context. In this paper we show how the creation of science gateway interface ecosystems—groups of intelligent interfaces that together form a mutually reinforcing collective—can address these challenges. Further, we present a methodology for creating such interface ecosystems without the need for coordination between the designers of the constituent interfaces. As a demonstration of this approach, we present a set of case studies in which interfaces are created for different audiences and contexts. Each case is examined through the lens of the design tools identified in our methodology. We show that despite being created by designers from different organizations, with different objectives, audiences, and contexts, these interfaces form a cohesive and mutually reinforcing pathway that guides the community to deepen their engagement with researchers and practitioners in the subject area.

Authors: Guttman, RD; Herckis, L; Culyba, S; Hymes, K; Hammer, J

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Springer
• Journal: SN Computer Science
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 4
• Article number: 349
• Publication date: 2026-04-10
• Acceptance date: 2026-03-21
• DOI: 10.1007/s42979-026-04931-8
• EISSN: 2661-8907
• ISSN: 2661-8907
• Language: English
• Keywords: Science gateways; Learning; Cybersecurity; Ecosystems