Ideation
It all starts with an idea.
Every groundbreaking innovation begins with a spark. A bolt runs through the brain, and we rush to find a piece of paper, a napkin, whatever we can find to write our idea down.
The first step of inventing is getting inspired. This is ideation.
But it’s more than just that Eureka moment, that “aha!” Ideation is the entire process that includes the initial conception of the idea, brainstorming, and problem definition.
Conception
If you have a truly novel idea that is scribbled down on a piece of paper, whiteboard, or the notes app on your phone, then congrats, you have an invention. But it’s probably not a good invention—yet. A good invention takes time to develop and should be more than just an idea that works in the abstract.
In the technical sense, you invent the moment you think of your invention. But in the real world, you invent once your idea has manifested itself into something useful for people.
Brainstorming
After you have that initial idea, you are likely to keep going. One idea usually leads to another and then another. That same “what about this…” mentality you had as a kid is manifesting itself again. “What if we did this…or that.” Brainstorming is about imagination and turning one idea into many.
Problem Definition
Our brains don’t always work in a straight line. Sometimes we get ahead of ourselves. Often, a poorly defined problem is the reason why none of the solutions are working. Defining the problem more clearly will spur further rounds of brainstorming, and our invention idea becomes more developed.
Contact us to discover what IP you have developed at this phase.
