Operator control device for a technical system, comprising at least one touch-sensitive operator control panel which produces, based on electrical vibration, an adjustable and operator-perceptible frictional force when the operator moves at least one finger on the surface thereof, - wherein in the at least one operator control panel a number of operator control elements (B101, B102, B103, B2) are provided and the frictional force is produced and an operator command is generated by the operator touching a respective operator control element (B101, B102, B103, B2) with at least one finger and associated finger movement, wherein at least some of the operator commands are control commands for the technical system, - wherein the number of operator control elements (B101, B102, B103, B2) can comprise one or more first operator control elements (B101, B102, B103), wherein the frictional force produced when a respective first operator control element (B101, B102, B103) is touched and an associated finger movement occurs is lower than the frictional force produced in response to touch and associated finger movement in a region of the at least one operator control panel bordering the respective first operator control element (B101, B102, B103), - wherein the technical system is an industrial automation installation or part of an industrial automation installation, - wherein at least one of the first operator control elements (B101, B102, B103) is a control slider and/or dial (B101, B102) which, in response to operator finger contact and movement along a predefined path on the at least one operator control panel, generates an operator command and in particular adjusts values of at least one parameter of the technical system, - wherein the operator finger contact and movement along the predefined path takes place by moving a marker along the predefined path, wherein the marker indicates the current position along the predefined path and - wherein the frictional force produced by operator finger contact and movement along the predefined path is varied as a function of the position of the contact along the predefined path, wherein the frictional force then increases if contact and movement along the predefined path causes at least one parameter of the technical system to be set to a value on the edge of or outside a setpoint range. - wherein in the at least one operator control panel a number of operator control elements (B101, B102, B103, B2) are provided and the frictional force is produced and an operator command is generated by the operator touching a respective operator control element (B101, B102, B103, B2) with at least one finger and associated finger movement, wherein at least some of the operator commands are control commands for the technical system, - wherein the number of operator control elements (B101, B102, B103, B2) can comprise one or more first operator control elements (B101, B102, B103), wherein the frictional force produced when a respective first operator control element (B101, B102, B103) is touched and an associated finger movement occurs is lower than the frictional force produced in response to touch and associated finger movement in a region of the at least one operator control panel bordering the respective first operator control element (B101, B102, B103), - wherein the technical system is an industrial automation installation or part of an industrial automation installation, - wherein at least one of the first operator control elements (B101, B102, B103) is a control slider and/or dial (B101, B102) which, in response to operator finger contact and movement along a predefined path on the at least one operator control panel, generates an operator command and in particular adjusts values of at least one parameter of the technical system, - wherein the operator finger contact and movement along the predefined path takes place by moving a marker along the predefined path, wherein the marker indicates the current position along the predefined path and - wherein the frictional force produced by operator finger contact and movement along the predefined path is varied as a function of the position of the contact along the predefined path, wherein the frictional force then increases if contact and movement along the predefined path causes at least one parameter of the technical system to be set to a value on the edge of or outside a setpoint range.