Abstract
Developing user-friendly image analysis software is essential for advancing biological and life science research. However, the interdisciplinary gap between software developers and life scientists presents challenges to software adoption. In this Essay, we provide practical recommendations to guide bioimage analysts and developers in creating accessible and usable software for biological research. These recommendations are presented in three phases, covering software design, user involvement in early development stages and the importance of software dissemination. Additionally, two software development case studies are presented to highlight the practical application of these principles, showing how thoughtful development, user-centric design and thorough documentation can bridge the gap between software developers and biologists, fostering wider adoption of the software and enabling further scientific discovery.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | jcs263711 |
| Journal | Journal of Cell Science |
| Volume | 138 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2025 |
| MoE publication type | B1 Article in a scientific magazine |
Funding
The idea for this Essay arose during The Company of Biologists Workshop \u2018Effectively Communicating Bioimage Analysis\u2019 (Buxted Park, UK, February 2024). We wish to acknowledge the organisers and the other participants for the insightful discussions. Additionally, we thank Professor Brian Stramer for giving S.M. the freedom to work on this side project and for helpful comments on the draft. S.M. received funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) project grant (BB/V006169/1). J.W.P. and G.J. were supported by the Research Council of Finland\u2019s Flagship InFLAMES Flagship Programme of the Academy of Finland (decision numbers: 337530, 337531, 357910 and 357911). G.J. was additionally supported by the Research Council of Finland (338537), the Sigrid Jus\u00E9lius Foundation, the Cancer Society of Finland (Sy\u00F6p\u00E4j\u00E4rjest\u00F6t), and the Solutions for Health strategic funding to \u00C5bo Akademi University. These funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.
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