The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) has released the findings from a new study which tried to understand how consumers interact with their different devices.

The results show that consumers’ use of devices varies greatly throughout the day, and that tablets have a very special use pattern.

The study was conducted with over 600 respondents who all owned a computer and a Smartphone. Of them 413 did not own a tablet device while 256 did.

The research found that all three devices work in harmony at different stages in a consumer’s day. Mobile is the dominant device in the morning (while commuting), decreasing in mid-afternoon allowing computers to take over before being replaced by tablets in the evening (with more than 50% of tablet interaction happening between 7 and 12 pm).

Interestingly during the weekend Tablet usage increase with 25% of respondents choosing to use it during their “downtime”. Another interesting point of note is that 51% of tablet use is in front of the TV giving TV advertisers a potential digital extension to their ad that they should look to exploit.

IAB’s senior mobile manger, Alex Kozloff said: “It proves that tablets are neither phone nor PC but have carved out a unique position as a ‘downtime’ device and the go to for entertainment during weekends and evenings. This research indicates a bright future for tablets in the UK.”

This dual screening is fare more prevalent with tablets devices than mobile (35%) or computers (33%) showing how these devices are changing how consumers choose to interact with media.

When it came to paying for their content, 82% of Smartphone and 73% of tablet owners preferred an ad-funded model.