#072 Touch Screens

Newer technologies are pretty amazing. Ten years ago, if you would have told me I would soon have a "smartphone" or own anything with a touch screen I'd probably think you were out of your mind. But these days a lot of things have touch screens, from smartphones to tablets to grocery store check-outs.

I'm not sure if it's a generational thing or what, but I find it hard to believe that adults still struggle with touch screens. I recently witnessed a child as young as 3 operating a smartphone, so children are being exposed to these new technologies very early and are adapting quickly... as they tend to do with everything in life.

A 50-year-old person I know got an iPod Touch and they kept pressing on it rather than tapping the screen lightly. I had to remind them that it was an iTouch not an iPress. Tap it lightly, that's all you need to do. Yes, there are some features that will activate when you press and hold an icon, but I was trying to show them the basic functionality of it and it took them some time but they finally got used to it.

I was travelling this past weekend, and I flew on a plane that had a "media system" integrated into the back of the seats. Some programs were available for free, and

some you could swipe your credit card through the back of the screen to pay for additional programming. A mid-to-late-40s couple was sitting behind me on the plane, and the woman was sitting directly behind me. For some reason, on this flight the programming would time out after 30 minutes, so it was necessary to re-load the program you were viewing. I happen to be watching a movie on one channel, and each time it timed out I would have to re-select the movie through a series of menus. The woman behind me was apparently having a tough time deciding what to watch, because she proceeded to press (not touch or tap) the back of my seat incessantly until she finally decided on something... which felt like an eternity. Then, every 30 minutes of our three-hour flight she had re-load her program so she did the same thing each time. Each time she pressed the screen my seatback would move forward with every press, and it was highly irritating.

My travel partner almost did the same thing as that woman, but I quickly reminded them: "Don't forget, someone is sitting in the seat in front of you, so make sure to tap lightly.". I said it rather loudly just in case anyone else was listening, because it really applies to everyone.