Invention as a Process

I think that most people have the misconception that an invention is a single idea for solving a common problem. Unfortunately, in my experience I have found that invention is a process that solves a series of problems. Often implementing the single idea will require solving problems dealing with manufacturing, distributing, advertising and several other problems associated with commercializing the product. That is the bad news. The good news is that like many other skills it can be acquired through deliberate practice.

If a there is already a commercial solution, a good place to start is to list all its short comings. If there is no current commercial solution there may be many reasons. One might be that the cost of the solution to the end user exceeds the pain associated with the problem. However, this is not always the case.

Perhaps the commercial opportunity associated with solving the problem has not been recognized. An example that comes to mind is the ketchup container that can be stood on its lid. The problem was that the viscous ketchup would take considerable time to flow out of the bottle.

The problem although widely known and the venue for many comedic situations -- real and dramatized -- was not solved until relatively recently. Despite the fact the solution for the apparent problem was pretty simple.

If no commercial solution exists then look at the way the "thing" is done now and list the "thing's" deficiencies. An example would be using a tool designed for one task to do another (i.e. a carpenter's hammer used to crack nuts).

Once the list of the short comings is complete, it can be used to generate the new product features. The features should be ranked according to severity of the associated pain. It is assumed that the bigger pains would generate the most financial return. In other words, the consumer would be willing to pay more to have the problem solved.

After the new product's features have been listed with the most painful at the top, a series of potential solutions should be generated. Do not stop at just one solution per feature, generate as many as possible. Also do not be limited to just one genre of solution -- all mechanical, all electrical, all chemical etc...
Try and generate as many solutions using as broad a range of methods as possible. Take several days, weeks or months as needed to create as many solutions as possible. It is usually the case that the ideas will slow to a trickle or dry up completely. When that happens go on to ranking the solutions.

After the list of solutions is created, a list of methods or designs to implement each solution should be constructed.

As before the design lists is evaluated for ease, costs, feasibility, etc... The whole product life line should be considered. That is, from the time of the start of making the product to the end of its life when it is disposed of by the consumer.

It is unfortunate that there are no absolutely pure products in the sense that there is a trade off between desirable positive consequences and the unavoidable negative ones. A judgement should be made considering the long term effects of making, selling, using and disposing of the product.

The rest of the process is somewhat tedious but involves ranking the solutions for the most net desirable effects and the lowest cost. It make take several iterations to find an satisfactory solution.