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Identifying a Problem
When you decide you will come up with a brilliant invention idea, you plan an invention; this really is not the same as having an epiphany one day. Well, if you are interested in inventing, then you have come to the right place, here is an article to get you started and usually show you with the invention process. The first step in creating a profitable invention idea is identifying a problem in society.
Finding a Problem
First, are looking for a problem. What is a problem? I believe most everybody knows what a problem includes, especially a problem if we are about inventing. A problem is anything that hinders one from reaching a desired goal or object. There are problems all through our society, as you know. You most likely encounter around 20 problems each day and most likely openly complain about 50 % of them. Up until now you haven't noticed when you did this, but going through life as a human is your number one supplier for good problems. Pay attention to yourself, when you complain think about whether it could be fixed having a nice invention. It's hard to become focused enough to notice when you complain or see a problem; however, with a few practice, it starts to be noticeable. Also, I suggest carrying just a little journal or using a phone to document these ideas once they come your way.
While looking to recognize a problem addititionally there is another resource that is readily available - people who are around you. This might incorporate your co-workers, friends, family, etc. People naturally complain, you hear this every day, and up so far you thought it was a bunch of annoying non-sense. Everyone thinks it's stupid and unproductive; I have read many psychologists explain people complaining as being some type of human emotional requirement for love or some other bull crap. Well, I've developed my own explanation for why people complain. People complain in order to make advancements. People locate problems and vocalize the need for the issue to be solved, thus there's an invention idea or advance in technology. So, pay attention to the people around you, they will let you know problems they've in their lives. This is often even harder to do then hearing yourself, because we've been conditioned to never pay focus on people complaining.
The internet is a great source for information, use it. Individuals have an issue; they post it on the web. This really is similar to hearing people around you, it's just people who are farther away. There are millions of blogs and forums where individuals have jumped on the web and posted a problem they're having. Go on Google and search for household problems or something like that along those lines and you will surely find something. Also, when i talk about later, an excellent problem to identify is one that causes death; therefore, it may be beneficial to search online for things that are causing a death toll every year. Should you begin to master using these three sources of information for identifying problems, then you will soon must many problems to remember.
May be the Problem Common?
Just so there is no confusion, you do want the issue you identify to be common. You won't want to be the only person having this problem, or else the invention idea you come up with to solve that problem will only be useful to you. There's a handful of simple ways to decide whether an issue is typical:
1. Ask people you're friends with. Talk to your friends, co-workers, family, and just anyone you are aware of see regularly. Ask them should they have exactly the same problem. It's not necessary to let them know you are looking at coming up with an invention idea to solve it, just ask, "Man, I personally don't like it when (blank) happens. You obtain that problem?" This is a simple way to find out if a problem is common without telling people regarding your inventing plans.
2. Again, search on the internet! When the issue is common, a thousand individuals have already posted about it on the web. Do a search on Google, if the problem happens to be very popular.
3. Last, you can hold market research. Go to a place that includes a lot of people whose attention you will get, for example school, and get these to raise their hand if they have this problem. This can be a a bit more intimidating to some people, and it will definitely reveal you're up to something. That being said, it's a fantastic way to get fully submerged in your project.
Don't take this step lightly; it is very important that the issue is common. A profitable invention idea has to appeal to a large amount of people.
Has got the Problem Already Been Solved?
Obviously, this is also a really crucial thing to recognize. Solving a problem is going to do you not good when there is already something which solves it. So, you need to do a little shopping around to verify that your issue is free that you should solve. While you would probably guess, an excellent place to start may be the internet. At this point you likely have already searched for your condition on the internet, so hopefully if it is obvious that it continues to be solved, you would then have previously noticed. I'd do a more detailed search to make sure you didn't miss anything the very first time.
Next, it might be wise to perform a patent search. That you can do a patent search on the internet in the USPTO's website or having a patent attorney. I would suggest just searching on the internet as it is going to be cheaper and easier. Searching for a problem rather than an invention is pretty difficult, therefore it might take a while. Also, you can try searching an obvious invention concept that applies to this problem for better results.
Also, I've found it helps a great deal to check around. Frequently someone will say something like "I think I have heard about something that does that," or something like that along those lines. Remember the value of people.
Is Solving the Problem Viable?
The ultimate question: may be the problem going to be profitable to solve? There is no definite answer to this question. There are lots of things to consider once you have went to this question.
- Will it save people money? This can be a big one. People love products that can pay for themselves. We're also in the midst of an economic decline, so individuals are always researching ways to cut costs. If you're shooting to save people money, there is one important thing to think about; your invention needs to be very cost efficient. Individuals don't want to hear that the product covers itself in 5 years, they want quick results.
- Will it save people time? The average person hates spending time on things they do not enjoy. People would like to get back to their free time, so saving them time can be very appealing. Through the years time has become quite vital that you us for many reasons.
- Will it create comfort or entertainment? This is a very difficult aspect to consider, since it is very opinionated; therefore, it requires you to make a judgment call. Some people get comfort or entertainment from different things, if you choose to take this route, you need to be sure your invention will affect many individuals. If you are going to attempt to tackle this, I would recommend doing extra research, online and in surveys.
- Will it save lives? This is another big one, and results in very profitable invention ideas. There's always likely to be a great way to market an invention that saves lives. I'd definitely recommend going down this path.
- Will it help those who are hindered? This is a broad category and almost goes with saving lives. There are many stuff that hinder people for example allergies, diseases, physical limitations, etc.
- Would people purchase this issue to become solved? To really answer this take some thought. You need to consider many variables. You have to type of begin to consider just how much an invention to resolve this issue would cost and if that amount of cash is worth solving the issue. You have to also consider the economic state of your consumers. For example, in the current economy individuals are spending much less money, however, you can perform some investigation and find articles to discover what individuals are still investing in. The worst thing would be to have a great invention, although not cover the cost of money as a result of insufficient research at this step.
Now you should have a good problem to solve; you are on the right path to a profitable invention idea.
Research
At this point you should have a problem that you're interested in solving. You have hopefully already done some research in your problem; however, the research has just begun. This is a very easy key to skip or otherwise fully commit to, but it's extremely important for a couple of reasons. You need to take a look at project thoroughly in order to be equipped to begin to solve it. Be sure you know everything about your problem; read books, read magazines, read the internet, and other things that could possibly educate you regarding your problem. I recognize most people don't enjoy reading, and wish to skip right to pioneering the best invention of the last 10 years, but inventing is a tedious process if it is done correctly. Most great inventions took years to completely develop, and I don't think we can even fathom just how much research these inventors did, since i guarantee you they did not just sit and think for ten years. Doing research will help you to engineer a solution, but it also serves another purpose. Doing research helps to completely submerge you inside your invention; it causes you to think constantly regarding your problem and increases your urge to uniquely solve it. If you're truly interested in inventing I'd strongly advise you to complete plenty of research.
Uncovering an Invention Idea
Use Problem-solving
Everything require problem solving; however, some are simpler to solve then others. An invention needs a high level of problem solving; for this reason it's hard for most people to generate a unique invention. Many people are naturally good at problem-solving plus they can solve issues with ease, but there are lots of those who have developed methods to teach people how you can solve problems. There are lots of great sites and books that give full lessons in problem solving and that i would recommend checking some out. I will outline a couple of things which i think are important to problem solving in inventing.
- Completely simplify the issue. It is easy to look at the problem and get distracted by the complexness of solving it, and this can discourage you. Take the problem you've identified and discover the underlying cause. You need to possess a simple problem in to possess the simplest solution. Simple inventions are generally very profitable.
- Alter the setting of your problem. This can be difficult to understand, and so i will give you a good example. Let's imagine your condition is getting within the shower after which realizing you forgot to obtain then new shampoo bottle and now you are wet. Change the setting from a shower to your car; remembering to obtain a new pack of gum to put in your before you leave to go on a hot date. Doing this will allow you to consider the problem from multiple angles. Don't be afraid to do this several times for several different settings. Problem-solving is about solving an issue by using logic and taking advantage of strategies to enhance your logic. However, logical problem solving isn't the solution about solving your problem; you should also consider the abstract side of pinpointing ideas, that we will discuss next.
Imagination
Imagination is made almost completely around vision. Vision contains two elements, one of which is often overlooked. The first part of vision may be the retina receiving light rays and sending these to the mind, this really is this a part of vision that everybody knows. The second part, what happens after this, is the part that relates probably the most to imagination. The part of vision in which the brain interprets the data in the retina differs from person to person. The way the brain perceives the information it receives in the retina is based mostly on past experiences, there are experiments that prove this. Therefore, if imagination happens when the brain perceives the data, and exactly how the mind perceives information is based on past experience, then imagination is restricted by experience. That may have seemed like a stretch, but consider this. As a kid your imagination is free of charge flowing and untamable, but when you grow older and gain experience your imagination begins to dwindle.
How does this apply to inventing?
The majority of the great inventions that wind up generating a sizable profit or changing the planet derive from an invention idea that is totally ludicrous to the average person. What this means is the key ingredients to some successful inventor really are a loose imagination and the ability to creatively solve an issue. In the current inventing world many inventors have a background in engineering. I've been in engineering classes where they've educated me in "how to invent". Edge in the game by rolling out 12 steps of methods to generate a perfect invention idea, each step instructs you exactly how to proceed and think. Well, I think if inventing might be written in 12 steps to a perfect invention idea, then everybody could be picking out outstanding inventions. We both know everyone isn't inventing the next best thing. It is because being the next Walt Disney isn't achieved by using a 12 step equation.
How you can break down the barriers on imagination
As I said above, the brain perceives information according to past experiences. It will this since it must conserve energy; therefore, the longer you reside and also the more experiences you encounter, the more your brain will use past experience to conserve energy. This conservation of one's is the enemy when you are attempting to stretch your thoughts and be creative. Forcing your brain to rely less on consider your experience is an extremely tough task or everyone would be really creative.
A terrific way to start thinking differently is to do new things - visit new places, take part in something totally new, and make new friends. Flooding the brain with all these new things causes it to break down categories developed by consider your experience. To get rid of conventional thinking, you must also notice that conventional thinking limits you and also you will find different ways to perceive things while you have seen it exactly the same way for thus long. Last, the obvious way to try to break down ordinary thinking is by literally looking at things differently. This seems simple and broad, but it can really be near on impossible to accomplish. A good example of this would be if you were an artist you might take pictures of your artwork, or possibly look at your art inside a mirror. Upping your imagination is really a difficult job to accomplish, but when you do the results can be quite rewarding.
Evaluating Your Invention Idea
If you are interested in generating income together with your invention idea, then you definitely aren't done. If you want to earn money, you will have to spend a great deal of money to patent and possibly market your invention. You need to be certain you're completely happy with your invention which is going to be profitable when it's put on the marketplace. This requires more research. I understand you may be tired of research right now, but it's important. You will find three main ways to evaluate your invention.
1. Study past inventions. Take a look at successful past inventions and look at failed ones. Study the way the economy was once the invention was released and just how the economy compares to today's economy. History is the greatest prediction for the success or failure.
2. Ask people you're friends with. Talk to people regarding your idea and ask their undertake it. Speak with people that is going to be honest with you; false support can lead to make a bad decision. Don't worry about them stealing your idea; many people are way too lazy to attempt that.
3. There are inventor organizations designed to help out inventors with ideas. To tell the truth I have not used them before, I've only find out about them online. I would advise trying them out though, I believe they're trustworthy.
