Methodologies and techniques to engage geoscience researchers in the technical design process and product development

AuScope is Australia’s premier research infrastructure provider to the national geoscience community, working on fundamental geoscience questions and grand challenges for the common good and into the future. The organisation is funded by the Australian Government via the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). One of its programs – the AuScope Virtual Research Environment (AVRE) – provides a unifying technological platform for AuScope Programs’ data and analytical needs and increases the uptake of data-driven research through various outreach activities. One such activity was the development of the AVRE Build Program that successfully ran over the past three years and aimed to improve the engagement of research teams and assist with translating scientific requirements into reusable solutions ranging from data management to numerical modelling and complex data visualisation.

Developing scientific software solutions with the diverse backgrounds of stakeholders involved is challenging in itself. In a multidisciplinary environment, we had to collaboratively develop and strengthen our design approach to break the “language barrier” between scientists and technologists to achieve greater user acceptance and ongoing adoption of developed solutions. Our approach stems from the Rapid Application Development and the Agile project management methodologies – both popular and widely applied in the realm of software engineering.

We take a user-centred design approach and involve researchers with a vested interest in the project outcomes in all stages of the iterative development lifecycle. We pay particular attention to the definition of project success and a minimum viable project, requirements analysis, wireframing and prototyping through the project launch and handover phases. Organising projects into short, focused sprints with the direct involvement of researchers has allowed us to stay focused on our objectives, deliver projects in short timeframes, and maintain momentum. Through this process and the direct involvement of researchers in the design aspects of the product, we fostered a close collaborative relationship with our users, created a sense of ownership and, as a result, cemented the longevity of the project under the researchers’ custodianship.

Herein, we detail our approach to scientific software development, the social aspects of our experience of cross-institutional and cross-domain collaboration, the challenges we have experienced, and the successes we have achieved. Although still offering room for improvement, the methodologies we employ have proved successful over the last three years, producing low-maintenance tools that are freely accessible to researchers. They helped to engage a wider audience and improve the speed of science delivery, which inspired other projects within the CSIRO Mineral Resources Business Unit and external organisations to implement similar programs.