What is the primary purpose of 'Shared Variables' in LabVIEW?

Shared Variables in LabVIEW are primarily designed to enable communication between different Virtual Instruments (VIs). This is particularly useful in applications where multiple VIs need to access or modify the same data concurrently. Shared Variables create a centralized data point that can be accessed by any VI within the same LabVIEW project or even across different projects, making inter-process communication seamless.

This functionality is essential in distributed systems where various components may be running on separate machines or need to share data in real-time. By using Shared Variables, developers can effectively synchronize data and ensure that all relevant VIs have access to the most current information, which is critical for maintaining system integrity and performance.

The other options, while they may have some relevance to data handling in LabVIEW, do not capture the primary purpose of Shared Variables as clearly as communication between VIs does. Storing data temporarily or enhancing user interface design are not the main functions of Shared Variables, nor are they limited to local communication only.