1. médialab Sciences Po
  2. News
  3. Towards a new Gephi user interface

Towards a new Gephi user interface

Some thought about improving Gephi interface.

Post

Gephi

, an open source and free software of system analysis and visualization, is used in social network analysis, in hard sciences and journalism. Donato Ricci and Mathieu Jacomy, respectively designer and engineer at the médialab, focused on its interface and are considering several possible ways for improvement. The result of this work is available on Gephi’s blog. Your comments and participation in Gephi’s improvement are welcome!

Why develop software in a research center on social sciences?

Software are increasingly important in academic research. The resources required for the development and maintenance of these tools are all the more complex that they are difficult to promote through academic publications. The algorithms can be published, but a software is more than a collection of scripts. Software make algorithms more efficient, mobile, and shareable. They can be installed on various computers and operating systems. They can be used by various graphic interfaces, in environments where the workflow is consistent and, if possible, enjoyable. The contextualization and implementation of algorithms are part of the research effort, including in social sciences. That is why the médialab welcomes in its team, not only academic researchers, but also engineers and designers. We believe that improving a software like Gephi, acknowledged internationally and downloaded over one million times, is an asset for research. Many people share this point of view, as shown by the recent establishment of SoftwareX, an academic journal with peer review dedicated to the publication of research software.Our proposals for Gephi: gephi.wordpress.com/2015/06/02/improving-the-gephi-user-experience/Our research tools: tools.medialab.sciences-po.fr