SandraAguiar982
Identifying a Problem
When you choose you will think of a brilliant invention idea, you plan an invention; this is different from through an epiphany one day. Well, if you're thinking about inventing, then you have arrived at the best place, here is an article to get you started and usually guide you with the invention process. The first step in coming up with a profitable invention idea is identifying an issue in society.
Finding a Problem
First, are looking for a problem. Exactly what is a problem? I think most everybody knows exactly what a problem includes, especially a problem when we are about inventing. An issue is something that hinders one from reaching a desired goal or object. There are problems all throughout our society, you may already know. You most likely encounter around 20 problems a day and most likely openly complain about half of these. Until recently you have not noticed whenever you did this, but going through life like a human is your number one supplier permanently problems. Listen to yourself, whenever you complain think about whether it could be fixed having a nice invention. It's hard to be focused enough to notice whenever you complain or visit a problem; however, with some practice, it starts to become more noticeable. Also, I suggest carrying around a little journal or utilizing a phone to document these ideas when they come your way.
When looking to recognize a problem addititionally there is another resource that is readily available - people who are around you. This may include your co-workers, friends, family, etc. People naturally complain, you hear this every day, and up until now you thought it was a lot of annoying non-sense. Everyone thinks it's stupid and unproductive; I've read many psychologists explain people complaining as being some type of human emotional requirement for love or some other bull crap. Well, I have developed my very own reason why people complain. People complain to make advancements. People locate problems and vocalize the need for the problem to become solved, thus there's an invention idea or advance in technology. So, pay attention to the people who are around you, they will let you know problems they've within their lives. This can be even harder to complete then hearing yourself, because we have been trained to not pay attention to people complaining.
The internet is a great source for information, use it. Individuals have a problem; they post it on the internet. This really is similar to listening to people who are around you, it is simply people who are farther away. There are millions of blogs and forums where people have jumped on the web and posted an issue they're having. Go on Google and search for household problems or something along those lines and you'll surely find something. Also, as I discuss later, an excellent problem to recognize is a that triggers death; therefore, it may be beneficial to search on the internet for things that are creating a death toll every year. If you start to master with such three resources for identifying problems, then you'll soon have too many problems to keep in mind.
Is the Problem Common?
Just so there is no confusion, you need to do want the problem you identify to become common. You won't want to be the only person having that problem, otherwise the invention idea generate to resolve that problem are only useful to you. There's a couple of simple ways to decide whether an issue is typical:
1. Ask people you're friends with. Speak to your friends, co-workers, family, and just anyone you are aware of see regularly. Question them should they have exactly the same problem. It's not necessary to tell them 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 ever obtain that problem?" This is a simple way to find out if a problem is typical without telling people about your inventing plans.
2. Again, use the internet! If the problem is common, then 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 are able to hold a survey. Go somewhere that includes a large amount of people whose attention you can get, for example school, and ask 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 as much as something. That being said, it is a fantastic way to get fully submerged in your project.
Don't take this task lightly; it is very important that the problem is common. A profitable invention idea has to appeal to a large amount of people.
Has the Problem Recently been Solved?
Obviously, this is a really crucial aspect to recognize. Solving an issue is going to do you not good when there is already something that solves it. So, you have to do a little research to ensure that the issue is free that you should solve. While you could possibly guess, a great place to begin may be the internet. You now likely have already looked for your condition on the internet, so hopefully if it's obvious that it continues to be solved, you would then have already noticed. I would do a more in depth search to make sure you didn't miss anything the first time.
Next, it would be a good idea to perform a patent search. You can do a patent search online in the USPTO's website or having a patent attorney. I would recommend just searching on the internet because it is going to be cheaper and simpler. Hunting for a problem rather than an invention is fairly difficult, therefore it might take some time. Also, you can try searching a clear invention concept that applies to that problem for better results.
Also, I've found it helps a great deal to ask around. Frequently someone will say something similar to "I think I have learned about something which does that," or something along those lines. Remember the need for people.
Is Solving the Problem Viable?
The best question: may be the problem going to be profitable to resolve? There isn't any definite response to this. There are lots of points to consider after you have went to this question.
- Does it save people money? This can be a big one. People love items that have enough money themselves. We are also in the midst of an economic recession, so people are always looking for ways to cut costs. If you're shooting to save people money, there is something to consider; your invention needs to be very cost efficient. People don't wish 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 don't enjoy. People would like to get back to their free time, so saving them time can be very appealing. Through the years the years have become quite important to us for a lot of reasons.
- Does it create comfort or entertainment? This is a very hard thing to consider, since it is very opinionated; therefore, it takes you to definitely create a judgment call. Some people get comfort or entertainment from various things, so if you choose to take this route, you have to be sure your invention will affect many individuals. If you are going to try to tackle this, I would recommend doing extra research, online and in surveys.
- Does it save lives? This really is another big one, and leads to very profitable invention ideas. There's always going to be a terrific way to market an invention that saves lives. I'd definitely recommend going down this path.
- Will it help those who are hindered? This can be a broad category and almost complements saving lives. There are many things that hinder people for example allergies, diseases, physical limitations, etc.
- Would people purchase this problem to be solved? To really answer this take some thought. You have to consider many variables. You have to kind of start to think about just how much an invention to solve this problem would cost and if that quantity of cash is worth solving the problem. You need to also think about the economic state of your consumers. For instance, in today's economy individuals are spending much less money, however, you can do some research and find articles to discover what people continue to be investing in. The scariest thing is to have a great invention, but not be able to make money due to a insufficient research at this step.
Now you should have a favorable problem to solve; you are well on the right path to a profitable invention idea.
Research
At this point you must have a problem that you are thinking about solving. You've hopefully already done some research in your problem; however, the study has just begun. This will be a very easy key to skip or otherwise fully commit to, but it is very important for a few reasons. You need to research your project thoroughly in order to be equipped to start to resolve it. Make sure you know every single thing about your problem; read books, read magazines, read the internet, and other things that may possibly educate you about your problem. I realize most people don't enjoy reading, and wish to skip straight to pioneering the best invention of the last ten years, but inventing is a tedious process if it is done correctly. Most great inventions took years to fully develop, and I don't believe we are able to even fathom just how much research these inventors did, since i guarantee you they didn't just sit and think for ten years. Doing research will help you engineer an answer, but it also serves another purpose. Doing research helps you to completely submerge you in your invention; it makes you think constantly about your problem and increases your urge to uniquely solve it. If you're truly interested in inventing I would strongly counsel you to complete plenty of research.
Uncovering an Invention Idea
Use Problem-solving
All problems require problem-solving; however, some are easier to solve then others. An invention requires a higher level of problem-solving; for this reason it is hard for most people to generate a unique invention. Many people are naturally proficient at problem-solving and they can solve problems with ease, but there are lots of those who have developed ways to teach people how to solve problems. There are lots of great sites and books that provide full lessons in problem-solving and that i would recommend checking some out. I will outline a few things that I believe are important to problem solving in inventing.
- Completely simplify the issue. It is easy to consider the problem and get distracted by the complexity of solving it, which can discourage you. Go ahead and take problem you've identified and discover the underlying cause. You need to possess a simple problem in order to have the simplest solution. Simple inventions are generally very profitable.
- Change the setting of the problem. This might be obscure, and so i will give you an example. Let's say your condition is getting in the shower after which realizing you forgot to obtain then new shampoo bottle and now you are wet. Alter the setting from the shower for your car; remembering to obtain a new pack of gum to set up your before leaving to take a hot date. This will allow you to consider the problem from multiple angles. Don't be afraid to do this many times for several different settings. Problem solving is all about solving an issue by utilizing logic and using techniques to increase your logic. However, logical problem-solving isn't the only way to go about solving your condition; you should also consider the abstract side of pinpointing ideas, that we will discuss next.
Imagination
Imagination is built almost completely around vision. Vision contains two elements, such as often overlooked. The first part of vision may be the retina receiving light rays and sending them to the mind, this really is this part of vision that everyone is familiar with. The second part, what goes on after this, is the part that relates the most to imagination. The part of vision where the brain interprets the data in the retina varies from individual to individual. The way the brain perceives the information it receives from the retina is based mostly on past experiences, there are experiments that prove this. Therefore, if imagination takes place when the brain perceives the information, and the way the mind perceives information is based on consider your experience, then imagination is restricted by experience. That may have appeared like a stretch, but think about 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.
So how exactly does this apply to inventing?
The majority of the great inventions that end up generating a sizable profit or changing the world derive from an invention idea that is totally ludicrous to the average person. This means 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 possess a background in engineering. I have been in engineering classes where they've educated me in "how to invent". They do this by rolling out 12 steps of how to come up with an ideal invention idea, each step instructs you exactly how to proceed and think. Well, I believe if inventing might be written in 12 steps to some perfect invention idea, then everybody would 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 up the barriers on imagination
As mentioned above, the mind perceives information based on past experiences. It will this since it must conserve energy; therefore, the more you reside and the more experiences you encounter, the greater your mind will use past experience to conserve energy. This conservation of one's is the enemy when you are trying to stretch your ideas and be creative. Forcing your brain to rely less on past experience is a very tough task or everyone would be really creative.
A great way to start thinking differently is to do new things - go to new places, participate in something totally new, and make new friends. Flooding the brain with all these new things causes it to collapse categories developed by consider your experience. To get rid of conventional thinking, you have to also recognize that conventional thinking limits you and also you will find different ways to perceive things while you have experienced it the same way for so long. Last, the most obvious method to try to break up ordinary thinking is by literally looking at things differently. This seems simple and broad, however it can definitely be hard to accomplish. An example of this would be should you be an artist you might take pictures of your artwork, or maybe review your art in a mirror. Increasing your imagination is a hard task to complete, but when you do the results can be very rewarding.
Evaluating Your Invention Idea
If you are interested in generating income with your invention idea, then you definitely aren't done. If you wish to earn money, you are going to need to spend a great deal of money to patent and perhaps advertise your invention. You have to be certain you're thrilled with your invention which is going to be profitable when it's put on the market. This requires more research. I understand you may be tired of research by now, but it is important. There are three main methods to evaluate your invention.
1. Study past inventions. Look at successful past inventions and look at failed ones. Study how the economy was once the invention was released and how the economy compares to today's economy. History is the best prediction for your success or failure.
2. Ask people you're friends with. Speak with people about your idea and get their undertake it. Talk to people who is going to be honest with you; false support can lead you to make a bad decision. Don't worry about them stealing your idea; most people are far too lazy to try that.
3. You will find inventor organizations made to help out inventors with ideas. To be honest I have never used them before, I have only find out about them online. I would advise giving them a shot though, In my opinion they're trustworthy.
