Evaluating visualization layout usability in environmental time series dashboards
Akmal, Fahad (2025)
Diplomityö
2025
School of Engineering Science, Tietotekniikka
Kaikki oikeudet pidätetään.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe20251204114732
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe20251204114732
Tiivistelmä
Software engineers building multi metric dashboard systems lack empirical evidence for layout decisions. Despite theoretical guidance favoring small multiples for comparison tasks, this design principle lacks controlled experimental validation in software engineering contexts, creating a gap between theory and evidence based practice.
This thesis employs design science research to develop and evaluate a dashboard artefact implementing overlay and small multiples layouts through controlled between subjects experimentation. Forty four participants were assigned to layout groups via URL based allocation, completing six environmental time series pattern comparison tasks. Usability was measured using three dimensions (effectiveness, efficiency, satisfaction) and analyzed with independent t tests.
Results showed no significant differences between layouts for accuracy (p=.738), completion time (p=.840), or satisfaction (p=.719). Both layouts performed equally well for four variable environmental monitoring tasks.
The equivalence finding provides valuable empirical evidence, For four variable environmental dashboards with challenging pattern comparison tasks, neither layout offers measurable performance advantages. Engineers can confidently select layouts based on implementation complexity, screen real estate requirements, or design consistency rather than usability concerns, with results that may be generalizable to multi metric dashboards in other software engineering domains with similar characteristics.
This thesis employs design science research to develop and evaluate a dashboard artefact implementing overlay and small multiples layouts through controlled between subjects experimentation. Forty four participants were assigned to layout groups via URL based allocation, completing six environmental time series pattern comparison tasks. Usability was measured using three dimensions (effectiveness, efficiency, satisfaction) and analyzed with independent t tests.
Results showed no significant differences between layouts for accuracy (p=.738), completion time (p=.840), or satisfaction (p=.719). Both layouts performed equally well for four variable environmental monitoring tasks.
The equivalence finding provides valuable empirical evidence, For four variable environmental dashboards with challenging pattern comparison tasks, neither layout offers measurable performance advantages. Engineers can confidently select layouts based on implementation complexity, screen real estate requirements, or design consistency rather than usability concerns, with results that may be generalizable to multi metric dashboards in other software engineering domains with similar characteristics.