The study asked more than 200 kid-innovators across the world, ages 12 and under, to draw the answer to this question: "What would you like your computer or the Internet to do that it can't do right now?"

You can explore the full findings here:

Part 1: Kids are the Road to Tech Innovation
Part 2: From the Mouths of Babes: The Future of Tech is Robots and Real World Integration
Download the study summary (PDF) here.

By and large, kids indicated that they'd like future technology to fulfill three primary functions:

1. Serve as an extension of themselves, with more fluid and intelligent modes of interaction

"Help Computer: it knows what you are thinking and does it for you - both touch and voice controlled." - Male, 8, Brisbane, Australia

2. Seamlessly integrate digital objects, places and experiences with the real, physical world

"I'd like it if my computer could convert images or food and make them real." - Female, 10, Pakenham, Australia

3. Empower users by conferring new knowledge or abilities and unlocking new experiences

"I want to video kids on the other side of the world using a different kind of language." - Female, 7, Warwick, RI, United States

"These three expectations are especially powerful when viewed together as part of a larger framework, because they speak to the way that kids are perceiving themselves in relation to the world - and what's possible in it. Essentially: if devices are an extension of one's self, and these devices are increasingly integrated with the physical world, it follows that technology is a gateway to expanding our own experiences with and confidence in the world at large," says Neela Sakaria, Senior Vice President at Latitude.

"Technology is no longer an end in itself - instead, it becomes a path to more meaningful experiences with our surroundings. Kids are naturally intuiting this, and we as adults are following closely behind," she adds.

To illustrate the study's high-level findings and how they interrelate, Latitude created this infographic:

View larger size here. Infographic created by Latitude in collaboration with FFunction, (cc) some rights reserved.

Latitude is proud to have partnered with ReadWriteWeb on phase 1 of "Children's Future Requests for Computers and the Internet." Latitude is an international research consultancy helping clients create engaging content, software and technology that harness the possibilities of the Web. To learn more about working with Latitude, fill out this form or contact Ian Schulte (ischulte@latd.com).

Image credit: Marcus Kwan

Over the course of 2010, Latitude Research completed a multi-phase innovation study, Children's Future Requests for Computers and the Internet, asking kids across the world to draw the answer to this question: "What would you like your computer or the Internet to do that it can't do right now?" This study is part of a larger research initiative by Latitude that positions younger generations as a window into the future of technology, capable of informing tech experiences that resonate with people of all ages.

Download the study summary (PDF) for Children's Future Requests for Computers and the Internet.

More than 200 kid-innovators, ages 12 and under, from North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, South Asia and Australia, submitted drawings of their imagined technologies. By and large, kids wanted their technology to be more interactive and human, better integrated with their physical lives and empowering to users (such as by assisting new knowledge or abilities).

"Teleport through the screen to another computer at the place of your choice." --Male, 9, Perth, Australia

"I want an interface where we can search, not by text, but by drawing--and get image results with that particular shape or pattern." --Female, 12, Mumbai, India

Researchers scored kids' inventions on the presence of specific technology themes, such as type of interface, degree of interactivity, physical-digital convergence, user's desired end-goal and so on.* The following infographic displays some of the top attributes present in kids' created technologies across world regions. (Download the full PDF report summary to read more about cross-cultural differences.)

To view a larger version, click here. Infographic created by Latitude in collaboration with ffunction, (cc) some rights reserved.

The following are key insights to come from an analysis of children's future requests for technology:

1. The Digital vs. Physical Divide is Disappearing (Tech = World)

   Kids today don't neatly divide the "online" from the "offline." For them, these two realms continue to converge as technologies become more interactive, portable, connected and integrated with "real world" activities. Nearly 4 in 10 kids imagined technologies that integrated the virtual with the physical, such as more immersive experiences of physical spaces (e.g., real or simulated travel) or devices that assisted physical activities (e.g., playing sports). At a time when 3D movies are still a novelty and 3D televisions have just begun to hit the market, a full 9% of kids explicitly built 3D effects into their own imagined technologies.

   

   "I'd like it if my computer could convert images or food and make them real." --Female, 10, Pakenham, Australia

   

   "I'd like to go through the computer to the places that are inside it." --Female, 4, Medellin, Colombia (translated from Spanish)

   For kids, technology is no longer something that mediates experience, but something that pervades it. "There's a real opportunity to create new experiences where the technology seems to disappear, where we experience the web directly - and almost magically - in the world," says Steve Mushkin, Founder and President of Latitude who's speaking at ReadWriteWeb's 2WAY Summit today on the topic of kids as tech innovators.

2. Why Aren't Computers More Human? (Tech = Me)

   Kids expressed a desire for more intuitive modes of input as well as higher degrees of responsiveness from technology. Only half of kids envisioned technologies that used the standard keyboard/mouse interface, while 36% went for more fluid interfaces: touchscreen, verbal/auditory, gestural and even telepathic in some cases.

   

   "Help Computer: it knows what you are thinking and does it for you--both touch and voice controlled." --Male, 8, Brisbane, Australia

   The majority of kids (77%) illustrated a technology with more dynamic, human-level responsiveness. Children in Africa, South Asia and Latin America were much more likely to anthropomorphize computers in a direct way--to imagine them as friends or teachers that could share their experiences or help in the accomplishment of a goal. Additionally, 43% of all children drew themselves or another person interacting with their creations, highlighting the shrinking gap between gadget and user: the "iGeneration" understanding of device as merely an extension of oneself.

   

   "A robot that would help me pick out fashion clothes everyday and dress me." --Female, 8, Potchefstroom, South Africa

3. Technology Can Improve and Empower Us (Me = World)

   Instant access to people, information and possibilities reinforces young users' confidence and interest in self-development. One-third of kids invented technologies that would empower users by fostering knowledge or otherwise "adult" skills, such as speaking a different language or learning how to cook.

   

   "I want to video kids on the other side of the world using a different kind of language." --Female, 7, Warwick, RI, United States

   "Kids want technology to either act as a companion - a friend they can enjoy various activities with - or as a tool that empowers them to grow and express themselves," explains Jessica Reinis, a research analyst at Latitude who led the study. "In some cases, we saw the fusion of these two with kids envisioning tech as teacher."

   In addition to self-development, kids expected technology to enable and empower them as creators. One-quarter of kids' inventions - the same number which favored gaming - centered on art or design. "Technology is a fully integrated part of kids' lives and this makes their creativity and their drive to create with it boundless because tech is really just an extension of themselves," says Vanessa Van Petten, founder of Radical Parenting and author of Do I Get My Allowance Before or After I'm Grounded? Nearly 1/3 of all children went beyond simple creations, envisioning more flexible platforms for creating games, Web sites, action figures and so on. Kids' interest in a wide range of design fields--industrial, landscape, fashion, game, Web and more--reflects the visual richness of the online world, as well as the can-do creative drive that tech encourages.

   

   "I want to make up my own video game." --Male, 8, Kennewick, WA, United States

This part 1 of a 2-part series. Check back later this week for the next installment including opportunities for creators of technology experiences for both kids and adults.

Latitude 42 Study: Children's Future Requests for Computers & the Internet

*Note: Reported frequencies may be based on total number of submissions that were possible to code on a given variable, rather than total number of study participants.

Image credit: Marcus Kwan, (cc) some rights reserved.

Latitude is proud to have partnered with ReadWriteWeb on phase 1 of Children's Future Requests for Computers and the Internet. Latitude is an international research consultancy helping clients create engaging content, software and technology that harness the possibilities of the Web. To learn more about working with Latitude, contact Ian Schulte (ischulte@latd.com).

Latitude (who recently partnered with RWW on the Children's "Future Requests" for Computer and the Internet study) is conducting a new study to investigate how cities, transportation providers and technology companies can use Web, mobile, real-time, and location-aware technologies to improve transportation modes so that they work together as a fluid system, adding value to individuals' lives.

Owning a Car Ain't So Great Anyways

Transportation is an essential part of human life; it influences where we live, when we socialize, where we work, our personal finances, and our general quality of life on a day-to-day basis. It also has an enormous impact on the environment - automobile emissions represent a leading cause of global warming. What's more, owning a car is sometimes a hassle instead of a benefit, and it costs a bundle.

In fact, one participant in Latitude's recent The New Sharing Economy study (in collaboration with Shareable Magazine) noted "the absurdity of owning something large and relatively expensive that just sits around." Giving up ownership to join a car-sharing program." She benefitted by "getting great exercise, reducing my carbon emissions, and making something available to someone who really needed it when I did not."

Car-sharing services and green car companies have made worthy progress to minimize the various downsides of car ownership, but there are significant, untapped opportunities for alternate (non-automobile) transit options to improve our everyday experiences and spare the environment.

Central Study Questions:

1. What are the various options for alternative (more sustainable) transportation these days, and how can cities encourage people to use them?
2. What role can Web, mobile, real-time, and location-aware technologies play in improving transit experiences?

3. How we can better design various transportion modes to function together, creating a fully integrated and more intelligent system of transportation?

The Gist

Selected participants living and working in the Boston or San Francisco metro areas will agree not to use their cars at all for one week (Mon., 11/1 - Sun., 11/7); instead, they'll have to rely on alternate transportation options (like walking, biking, public transportation, ride-sharing, etc.) - not to mention their own creativity and resourcefulness - to get around. Latitude will collect their experiences, frustrations and innovative suggestions to learn more about how we could all experience transit as a more practical, integrated and sustainable system. As with all Latitude 42 studies, results will be published openly at life-connected.com in the spirit of knowledge-sharing and opportunity discovery.

Why Participate?

• 1 in 10 chance to win an iPad (one participant from each city will receive an iPad)
• Discover your city in new ways, and receive up to $100 in reimbursements for alternate (non-automobile) transportation costs (e.g. public transit passes, bike rentals, etc.)
• Be featured in a publicized study!
• Get to know your city better, and live a more sustainable lifestyle (at least for one week)

Requirements*

• Must use a car regularly (no car-share members, sorry!)
• Must live and work within either the Boston or San Francisco metro areas
• Must be able to carry out normal, everyday activities without a car by using alternate transit methods (walking, biking, public transit, ride-sharing, etc. - anything but driving)
• Must be available for the study (willing to not drive a car at all) from Monday, Nov. 1 - Sunday, Nov. 7
• Must be willing to participate in surveys and interviews before, during and after the week of the study.
• Must be willing to be featured in all study-related content - this may entail providing an appropriate headshot of yourself, capturing video documentary, and appearing in post-study interviews about the experience. (You may request that Latitude not publish your real name, but your likeness and any study/interview content - including video, audio, text - may be featured.*)

Got questions about participating? Email life-connected@latd.com.

Why Boston and San Francisco?

These two cities were chosen, in part, because of their recent work to improve transit in an innovative, tech-oriented, and open manner. Some recent developments include:

San Francisco

The city of San Francisco just broke ground (below) on a $4-billion Transbay Transit Center to connect eight Bay Area counties and the State of California through 11 transit systems: AC Transit, BART, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit, Greyhound, Muni, SamTrans, WestCAT Lynx, Amtrak, Paratransit and future High Speed Rail from San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim. Additionally, the project aims to "create a new neighborhood with homes, offices, parks and shops surrounding the new Transit Center."

San Francisco is also implementing sophisticated technology solutions like "supply-and-demand," variable pricing for parking meters (SFPark) to improve traffic and parking conditions for drivers, and to discourage people from driving into urban areas that can easily be accessed through other means of transportation: "A network of wireless sensors let the city keep track of which parking spots are empty. If a particular block never has available spots, the city raises the meter rates until it does. In places where parking is plentiful, rates fall. As an added bonus, this information-age system lets residents check the rates and availability of parking online before deciding to drive."

Boston

Earlier this year, Boston's Livable Streets Alliance collaborated with MassDOT (Massachusetts Department of Transportation) on a "Transit 2.0" talk to discuss the city's open development initiatives - current successes and future plans - to make use of newly open data around public transportation. Thus far, MassDOT has placed special emphasis on creating mobile technologies to improve user experiences and increase usage of the city's bus, subway and commuter rail lines. (Livable Streets' calendar of community events is here.)

In the past, Boston has been marked as a notoriously poor biking city, but MassBike is working to change all that. In July, Boston received $3M in federal funding for its planned bike-sharing program.

Lead analyst on this study: Marina Miloslavsky