Mobile Data Visualisation Interface Design for Industrial Automation and Control: A User-Centred Usability Study

With the increasing integration of mobile technologies into manufacturing automation environments, the effective visualisation of data on small-screen devices has emerged as an important consideration. This study investigates the usability and readability of common visualisation types (bar charts, line charts, and tables) on mobile devices, comparing different interface designs and interaction methods. Using a within-subject experimental design with 11 participants, we evaluated two primary approaches for handling large visualisations on mobile screens: segmented (cutting) displays versus continuous (dragging) displays. Results indicate that segmented displays generally improve task completion time and reduce mental workload for bar charts and tables. In contrast, line charts exhibit more complex patterns that depend on the size of the data. These findings provide practical guidelines for designing responsive data visualisations optimised for mobile interfaces.