Multiple Screens and Devices in an Information-rich Environment
Authors: Saleem Jason J. , Weiler Dustin T. 
Published: September 2017

A future trend is the of adoption of a multiscreen and multiple device approach to cope with distractions and multiple tasks. Although this may seem counterintuitive, more screens and possibly more devices may help focus one’s attention rather than serve as a distraction, making multiple tasks viewable at a glance across multiple device screens (Thompson, 2014). Potential benefits of multiscreen and multiple device environments were assessed using three different computing environments. A single factor, within-subject study was conducted with 18 engineering students in a laboratory experiment. Three levels for the computing environment factor included one with a desktop computer with a single monitor (control, condition A); one with a desktop with dual monitors, as well as a single tablet computer (condition B); and one with a desktop with a single monitor, as well as two tablet computers (condition C). There was no statistically significant difference in efficiency when completing scenarios for the three computing environments. However, a dual monitor desktop with a single tablet computer (B) was the ideal computing environment for the information-rich engineering problem given to participants, supported by significantly fewer errors compared to condition C and significantly higher usability ratings compared to conditions A and C. A single desktop monitor with two tablet computers (C) did not provide any advantage compared to a single desktop monitor (A).

A dual monitor desktop with a single tablet computer (condition B) was the ideal computing environment for the “information-rich” engineering problem given to participants. This is supported by converging evidence from the dependent measures as well as qualitative debrief interviews. A single desktop monitor with two tablet computers (condition C) did not provide any advantage compared to a single desktop monitor (condition A). Overall, these findings provide only marginal support for the concept we set out to investigate, which was the notion that more screens and possibly more devices may help focus one’s attention rather than serve as a distraction, making multiple tasks viewable at a glance across multiple device screens (Thompson, 2014). The finding of a performance and usability advantage of the dual monitors in condition B is consistent with previous studies (Anderson et al., 2004; Poder et al., 2011; Russell & Wong, 2005). A key difference in our study is that we provided a tablet computer in addition to the dual monitors. However, the debrief interviews were mixed as to the usefulness of the third screen provided by the tablet; some participants thought it was not helpful whereas other did find it useful. The complete lack of performance, workload, and usability differences between condition C (single monitor and two tablet computers) and condition A (single monitor) does not support the notion that a multiscreen environment can help focus one’s attention. Indeed, some participants noted that using multiple screens provided by the tablet computer(s) was distracting. Others noted that while they did not hinder their tasks, they did not help. Based on these results, we recommend a computing work environment with dual screen monitors, with an optional tablet computer, for complex and information-rich computing tasks.