Latitude

“The answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is…

42.

It would’ve been simpler, of course, to have known what the actual question was; only when you know the question will you know what the answer means.”

Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Incidentally, 42 is also the latitude of Latitude’s headquarters, located just beyond Boston, MA.

Overview

As a company, Latitude sponsors internally-run research projects that support its diverse interests, but commonly unite under its forward-looking vision of a more informed, more actionable, and more connected world, with an eye toward the greater good.

Latitude 42s are an ongoing series of open innovation research studies which Latitude publishes in the spirit of knowledge-sharing and opportunity discovery. Unified by a common digital thread, the 42s explore a range of everyday human experiences most likely to shape the future of commerce, communication, and civic life, from food information access to the new sharing economy to the Internet of Things.

Techniques

Latitude combines collectivity creativity (“the wisdom of many”) with sophisticated quantitative analysis to generate Web-based solutions for the future. Online ideation activities may involve innovation games, narratives, collaborative social platforms, and interaction with highly visual content–to produce viable and telling forms of data.

Every Latitude 42 is operated by a team of experienced research analysts at Latitude who contribute directly to the content published at life-connected.com on a rolling basis.

Current & Upcoming 42s

• Current: The New Sharing Economy

  From digital content to automobiles, smarter shared-service models are connecting people (and people to things) more efficiently and sustainably, highlighting the virtues of access over ownership. What are key adoption motivators and barriers in the new sharing economy? How can Web-based, mobile, and real-time technologies create new opportunities for sharing?


  [overview & rationale] [get involved] [track this study] [technologies used]

  

  Latitude has partnered with Shareable on The New Sharing Economy. Results will be posted to both Shareable.net and life-connected.com in the coming weeks.

Past 42s

• July 2010: Children’s “Future Requests” for Computers and the Internet

  What would be really interesting or fun to do on your computer/the Internet that your computer can’t do right now? Please draw a picture of what this activity looks like.

  Children are excellent innovators, relatively unconcerned with the boundaries of what is practical, popular, or even possible. This study will aim to illustrate the future of the Web; it will shed light on how younger generations understand technology in today’s fast-evolving climate, and explore new opportunity spaces for digital devices, experiences, and the Web at large—by utilizing the creative thinking abilities of children 6-12 years of age.

  [overview & rationale] [get involved] [track this study] [technologies used]

  

  Latitude has partnered with ReadWriteWeb on Kids ‘Future Requests’ for Computers and the Internet. Results have been posted to both ReadWriteWeb and life-connected.com as a 2-part series:

  Download a 3-page PDF summary of study findings here.

  • “Kids Innovation Study Results, Part 1: Web in the Physical World”
  • “Kids Innovation Study Results, Part 2: Creation, Design & Digital Optimism”
• April 2010: The Interactive Future of Food

  In light of growing movements around local, organic and sustainable food, what unmet needs exist around food purchase decision-making and how can technology effectively and intelligently fill these gaps?

  [overview & rationale] [get involved] [track this study] [technologies used]

  

  Latitude has partnered with Shareable on The Interactive Future of Food. Results have been posted to both Shareable.net and life-connected.com as a 4-part series:

  Download a 2-page PDF summary of study findings here.

  • “Food Innovation Study: Real-Time Information Accessibility Drives Decision-Making”
  • “Food Innovation Study: Mobile & Barcode Technology for Informed ‘Offline’ Shopping”
  • “Food Innovation Study: Can Technology Help Groceries Build Community?”
  • “A Few Very Forward Ideas: Participant Solutions for Food Innovation”

Privacy Policy

We value our participants’ contributions and take their privacy very seriously. Click here if you would like more information about how Latitude views and uses the information that 42 participants provide.

Idea-Sharing and Collaboration

We’re always on the look-out for new ideas, initiatives, technologies, partners, and organizations of interest.

If anything related to our work or interests here moves you to text, we’d love for you to share your thoughts at life-connected@latd.com.

“The future is here; it’s just not evenly distributed yet.”

-William Gibson

Header photograph by Bérenger ZYLA, (cc) some rights reserved.