The EOSC Portal of tomorrow

Updates from the work-in-progress website renovation effort focused on UX

The EOSC Future project takes on the main challenge of developing the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) into an operational ecosystem that will facilitate cooperation and cross-domain research while providing seamless access to scientific resources.  

One of the ways to address this goal is by strengthening  the usability of the EOSC Portal, a part of the EOSC implementation roadmap acting as a gateway to all information and resources in EOSC, providing updates on its governance and players, on the projects contributing to its realisation, as well as funding opportunities for EOSC stakeholders, relevant European and national policies, important documents, and recent developments.   

The EOSC Portal renovation activities are led by the EOSC Future UX task force, which has started engaging with users that volunteered to be involved in usability studies to create the EOSC portal of tomorrow.

The revamp is driven by a co-creation approach, centred around users and available services, and aims at reinforcing the role of the marketplace, attracting more users in order to strengthen the Portal and ensure its long-term sustainability.

The renovation plan is made of three main steps:

1. a preliminary survey circulated among the EOSC digital ecosystem to better understand the visitors' demographics (job title, domain of expertise, Country, etc)
2. user-based research such as qualitative interviews and usability tests to better understand the visitors’ needs, expectations and pain points when navigating the current EOSC portal website
3. the final design and implementation of an improved version of the EOSC portal website, better tailored to users, addressing the identified needs and pain points. This step requires continuous interaction with the users in a co-design and co-creation environment to collect early feedback and ensure all challenges are addressed before a new layout and content structure are implemented.

The currently ongoing activities will help the EOSC Portal become a key reference point for Open Science Cloud service access in the EU

Stay tuned for more information and follow @EOSCFuture not to miss any updates!
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