There are plenty of ways to interact with a computer, the keyboard and mouse being the most common. However the touch-screen has continued to move into the mainstream, presumably to some extent thanks to its incredible success in enabling the smartphone and tablet revolution. Here are few reasons for using a large touch-screen monitor:
- A touch-screen is completely intuitive, as evidenced by a child’s ability to interact with a touch-screen without training.
- The user interface is unrestricted as it is purely subject to software design.
- Some functions simply work better with a touch screen, for example drawing, zooming in & out on an image and pressing a button.
- Some applications are purely graphical and just involve selection and moving of graphical elements.
- Even if a keyboard and mouse are the primary user interface a touch-screen makes an excellent complement.
- When working in front of a group a keyboard is impractical, a touch-screen is more natural and less awkward.
- In public situations a keyboard is often impractical, slow to work with and requires maintenance.
- Voice may be becoming the new keyboard but it is not always practical.
Commercial applications that help illustrate the above:
- Corporate: UC, Collaboration, Presentations & whiteboard
- Marketing: Trade shows, showrooms
- Public displays like way-finders
- Highly visual applications like maps and floor-plans
- Hospitality: Games especially fully graphical types
