Invention and Innovation As a Problem Solving Process

Introduction:

It has been my experience as a professional inventor that every “AH-HA” moment is followed by several “Uh Oh!”, “Oh No!” and some coarser expletives. It seems that every “solution” that I have tried to implement and commercialize required the solving of, what time seemed like, an endless series of problems.

What solved a problem for the end user often created another problem in the manufacturing, costs or some other area of the project. Based on my experience is that problems never completely disappear but are broken down, altered and transposed to some other area. That is, appearing to make a problem disappear just means that it has been transferred to some other area in whole or in part and appears as another single problem (of similar size) or a collection of several smaller problems.

However, I have developed a process for coming up with the initial innovative idea(s) and solving the subsequent string of problems in its development.? This process is discussed below.

Defining Product Features and Characteristics:

The first part of this step is to identify the problem that is going to be addressed.? The next step is to examine how the problem is currently handled. There may be an available product that attempts to deal with the problem but is deficient in several areas. Or the problem may be worked around using a cumbersome process that could be improved. But there is always the possibility that the problem is completely unnoticed or ignored. This type of problem would require calling attention to the problem and then its proposed solution.

Once the problem is identified all conceivable solutions should be listed. Notice that the words?”practical” or “possible” are not used here. At this point of the process there should be absolutely no constraints. Fantasy is encouraged. An impossible or impractical solution my provide the mental bridge to a completely new and innovative product that?may have been over looked otherwise.

All Conceivable Solutions:

After the fantasy list of features is compiled a correspondingly wild list of?methods to provide those features should be generated. As?before, unconstrained thinking?is encouraged and necessary.? Magical, impossible and?impractical ways?to?provide the feature should be included on the list.?

In addition, try to include?several methods of providing the same feature.?For example, a feature may be provided by a chemical, electrical, mechanical, magical, mystical, spiritual or multiple other?unnamed dimensional methods.??An attempt should?be made to be?as unconstrained as possible so as not to limit?or exclude any conceivable solution.

Features?and Solutions Collapse to?Reality:

At this point in the process, we have this amorphous?undefined 2 dimensional space of features and possible solutions. Everything is up in the air and all options are open — until?we?make a?selection. It took me a while to realize this, but just?making one selection starts to collapse the?available options.?

Let?us say that we decide that the product is going to be a mechanical?one.?All the other method options are no longer available. Similarly?if the decision is made to make the unit out of plastic all other material options are limited.?Moreover, manufacturing methods are also limited to what exists or can be developed for making plastic components.? In addition, the selection of the material may be a deciding factor in the pricing of the product. Decisions of which features to include and?which to exclude also work to collapse all possibilities to a few very constrained possibilities.?

An analogy would be floating above a bed of stepping stones. As long as you are floating above the stones, placing a foot on any stone is an option. But as soon as your foot lands on a stone, and you keep contact with the stone, your other options are confined to which stones are within your reach. So the decision to plant a foot on any stone has placed limits on the next decision and all subsequent decisions.

In a similar manner, when a decision is made about a product the cloud of options begins to collapse and become constrained. Therefore, the first decision should be well considered.

And?the customers,?distributor, governments and several?other sources will apply even more constraints. Customers may?want the product at a certain price?which further confines the options. Governments may impose restrictions, tariffs and regulations on products and materials adding even more restrictions.

So because of all these constraints, the fantasy world of all possible solutions collapses to the real world product. At this point the creativity shifts from the specifications of the products to solving problems imposed by the constraints.

It is still problem solving but instead of an endless sea of options the pool is shallower and smaller. Now the problems are confined to the real world management of the product. This is where the real work begins. Play time is over!

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