In Touch With the In Crowd: Touch Screen Interface Winning the Popularity Race

In a recent nation-wide survey commissioned by touch screen technology vendor Elo TouchSystems, nearly nine in 10 respondents expect touch screens to become the standard way to perform tasks that involve interfacing with a computer.And while the study, conducted by market research firm Penn, Schoen & Berland, was targeted to understand the interface preferences of young adult consumers (18-34), it highlights how deeply touch screen technology has penetrated general society since its introduction approximately 30 years ago.As a process control interface, touch screens also have a well-established presence in industry and all vendors, including Elo (which lays claim to inventing the technology), have a tremendous stake in how well-accepted and familiar the technology is to all users, whether in the industrial or consumer environment. The study's results also support the notion that as some of those young adults turn into process professionals, it's not likely that when they encounter touch screen control interfaces in the industrial setting the devices will present any ergonomic issues.