According to a new study, Children's Future Requests for Computers and the Internet, kids are predicting that the future of media and technology lies in better integrating digital experiences with real-world places and activities. They're also suggesting that more intuitive, human-like interactions with devices, such as those provided by fluid interfaces or robots, are a key area for development.

“I’d like to touch the things that are in the screen—feel and move them.”
 -- Female, 7, Barcelona, Spain

The multi-phase innovation study was designed and run by Latitude, an international research consultancy that helps clients create engaging content, software and technology that harness the possibilities of the Web. Latitude asked 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?" The goal of the study was to catch a glimpse into possible futures for technology as seen by digital natives, and to highlight actionable opportunities for new content, user experience (UX), and technology offerings. A complete study summary (PDF) is available for download at http://bit.ly/kidstechstudy.

More than 200 kid-innovators, ages 12 and under, from Argentina, Australia, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, India, Mexico, The Netherlands, Panama, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States participated and submitted drawings of their imagined technologies.

“The computer becomes 3-dimensional and, instead of a keyboard, it’s controlled by voice.”
-- Female, 11, Copenhagen, Denmark

Overall, the drawings demonstrated that kids wanted their technology to be more interactive and human, better integrated with their physical lives, and empowering to users by assisting new knowledge or abilities. Several study participants imagined technologies that are just beginning to appear in tech-forward circles, such as Google's revamped image search, announced on June 14th 2011, which allows users to place images, rather than text, in Google's search box to perform a query.

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

Researchers scored the kids' inventions on the presence of specific technology themes, such as type of interface, degree of interactivity, physical-digital convergence and user's desired end-goal.

See infographic displaying some of the top attributes presented in kids' created technologies across world regions: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37527143@N03/5818399721/in/set-72157626050850324


View some of the kids' drawings here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37527143@N03/sets/72157626937576399/

“I’m playing video games on my computer in 3D, wearing 3D glasses.”
-- Male, 10, Boston area MA, United States

"This study is part of our larger research initiative that gives children a real voice in the broader, often very adult, discussion of future technologies," says Steve Mushkin, founder and president of Latitude. "Across a variety of creative exercises, kids from all over the world have proven, time and again, that they think in extraordinarily sophisticated ways about how tech could enhance their learning, play, and interactions with the people and things around them - and the ways that technology might help us solve the big global problems we all face."

Kids Innovation and Discovery Studies (KIDS) engages children across the world in creative problem-solving scenarios, providing valuable insights for educators, technologists, and society.

“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

Key insights and business implications from the Children's Future Requests for Computers and the Internet study include:

• The Digital vs. Physical Divide is Disappearing: Children today don't neatly divide their virtual interactions from their experiences of the "real world." For them, these two realms continue to converge as technologies become more interactive, portable, connected and integrated. Nearly 4 in 10 kids imagined technologies that bridged the gap between virtual and physical experiences.

"For many kids, the 'online' versus 'offline' and 'virtual' versus 'real' distinctions are quickly disappearing," says Mushkin. "They naturally think about a future in which traditionally 'online' interactions make their way into the physical world, and vice versa - a concept already playing out in augmented reality, transmedia storytelling, the Internet of Things, and other recent tech developments."

“My son wishes the computer was a robot he could take everywhere with him—to play chess with him or soccer outside... in other words, he wants it to be a friend he can share with his other friends.”
-- Male, 7, Barranquilla, Colombia

• Why Aren't Computers More Human?: The majority of kids (77%) imagined technologies with more intuitive modes of input (e.g., verbal, gestural, and even telepathic), often capable of human-level responsiveness, suggesting that robots with networking functionality and real-time, natural language processing, could be promising areas of opportunity for companies in education, entertainment, and other industries.

"Kids are asking for computers to look, feel, sound, act - and interact - more like humans," says Jessica Reinis, a senior research analyst at Latitude who led the study and who specializes in creative methodologies for researching with children. "In many cases, it's not enough to have a machine that simply completes a task for them; kids today have a strong bent towards independent learning, creation and artistic endeavors, and they're looking for technologies that can teach them and really engage them in new ways."

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

• Technology Can Improve and Empower Us: 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 them by fostering knowledge or otherwise "adult" skills, such as speaking a different language or learning how to cook. Some participants moved beyond personal development, envisioning technologies that could foster positive social connections or influence behaviors tied to sustainability.

“My daughter would like the computer to clean her bedroom so she wouldn’t have to do it by herself.”
-- Female, 6, Distrito Federal, Mexico

"One of the sweet spots we see clearly is content and game elements that flow seamlessly between screen space and physical space, and which have the ability to change the 'real world' for the better - for instance, online games that generate real currency to help solve societal problems or games that use social motivators and accountability to influence personal behaviors in health, energy use, and so on," explains Mushkin.

“A laptop that can be used outside and charged by the power of the sun.”
-- Female, 10, Baltimore, MD, USA

Children's Future Requests for Computers and the Internet Study Findings Now Available -- A complete PDF study summary is available for download at http://bit.ly/kidstechstudy.

Read Latitude's blog posts discussing the findings of the Children's Future Requests for Computers and the Internet study at the following links:

http://www.latd.com/2011/06/14/study-kids-are-the-royal-road-to-tech-inn...

http://www.latd.com/2011/06/24/study-kids-say-the-future-of-tech-is-robo....

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

Latitude Presented Study Findings at Children's Media Conference in UK
Latitude's Steve Mushkin, founder and president, and Neela Sakaria, senior vice president, presented the findings of Children's Future Requests for Computers and the Internet at the Children's Media Conference in Sheffield, UK on July 7th and 8th 2011. For more information about this session, go to http://www.thechildrensmediaconference.com/2011/event/unlikely-visionari....

In addition, Latitude just launched a new study in partnership with Project Synthesis and the LEGO Learning Institute called Robots @ School - http://www.latd.com/2011/06/17/study-robots-school/, to further extend some of the present study's findings.

About the Study
Children's Future Requests for Computers and the Internet was designed and run by Latitude, and published in collaboration with ReadWriteWeb. A complete study summary (PDF) is available for download at http://bit.ly/kidstechstudy.

The multi-phase Children's Future Requests for Computers and the Internet study was designed by Latitude (and published in conjunction with content partner ReadWriteWeb) to position kids as a window into the future of technology, and to highlight specific opportunities for creators of content and technology experiences that resonate with people of all ages.

Over the course of 2010, Latitude asked more than 200 kid innovators, ages 12 and under, from North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, South Asia, and Australia to submit drawings of something they'd like their computers or the Internet to do differently. Researchers then scored and analyzed kids' inventions based on the presence of specific, future-oriented technology themes.

About Latitude's Kids Innovation and Discovery Studies (KIDS)
KIDS is an ongoing research series by Latitude which invites kids from across the globe to tackle big ideas in structured problem-solving scenarios, providing valuable insights for educators, technologists, and society. For more information, visit http://www.latd.com/#kids.

About Latitude
Latitude is an international research consultancy helping clients create engaging content, software and technology that harness the possibilities of the Web.

About the Study Partner
For more information, visit http://www.latd.com/2011/06/14/study-kids-are-the-royal-road-to-tech-inn....

ReadWriteWeb
ReadWriteWeb is a popular weblog that provides Web technology news, reviews, and analysis. One of the world's top 20 blogs, ReadWriteWeb speaks to an intelligent audience of web enthusiasts, early adopters, and innovators. ReadWriteWeb is currently syndicated by the New York Times. For more information, visit http://www.readwriteweb.com.

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