NOT long ago, it was a jaw-dropping new development. But now we’ve become so used to touchscreens that we sometimes find ourselves impatiently jabbing our laptop monitors to make webpages load.

As we get used to getting touchy- feely with machines, we’re crying out to see the principle everywhere. And that’s good news for companies like Sunderland’s Lamasatech, which has been swelling its workforce in the North East as well as building its reputation further east.

“When people see a screen now they go over and touch it even if it’s not a touchscreen,” said Lamasatech’s managing director Mahmoud Elsaid.

“It’s part of daily life now. But it has to be useful and it has to be designed the right way.”

The business recently opened new offices in Jeddah to meet the clamour for its products, which include the interactive menu technology Tablo.

Tablo allows customers to filter out foods that they don’t like or can’t eat, find out more about the dishes and adjust the language. The interface is kept as simple as possible, and works by allowing the user to scroll across the menu and zoom into sections for more information.

It is currently being used in three restaurants in Saudi Arabia, but there is significant interest from places such as China, India, Germany and the UK. It has received interest from hotels, restaurants and takeaway businesses.

Elsaid said: “We’ve received excellent feedback from managers and waiters. Some of them say they don’t ever want to see a paper menu again.

“It works on all tablet devices and touchscreens up to 85 inches.