Written by Craig Whitcomb
Have you ever searched through Google Patents, randomly opened a patent application and asked yourself “Why?” If you haven’t, you should try! It’s a reminder of the tunnel vision any creative person can have when the lightbulb above our head flips on and we focus intently on a new idea.
We often think of our inventions as shining heroes, swooping in to solve problems and make our lives easier. But sometimes, these heroes stumble. While they might fix one issue, they can create new ones, leaving us scratching our heads and wondering if the “cure” was worse than the disease.
Imagine a super-efficient vacuum cleaner that sucks up everything in its path, dust bunnies and furniture included! Or a self-driving car so programmed for safety that it never goes above 10 mph, leaving you perpetually late. These inventions, while aiming to solve problems, might end up creating new inconveniences or even safety hazards.
A hard reality is that only 5% of patented ideas ever see the light of day in the market. Why? It’s not always about feasibility or execution. Often, it boils down to a fundamental flaw: they don’t really solve problems.
Think about it. Would you spend your hard-earned cash on a gadget that folds your socks (a neat trick, but not exactly a life-changing necessity)? Now, imagine a water purifier that brings clean drinking water to remote communities – that’s tackling a crucial issue impacting millions. The difference is clear: true innovation addresses genuine problems, not just creates fancy solutions in search of problems.
The significance of starting with a meaningful problem becomes apparent as inventors seek to make a positive impact on the world. Meaningful problems often spark passion and dedication, driving inventors to explore creative and effective solutions. By aligning inventions with real-world problems, we contribute to the progress of society, addressing needs that may have been overlooked. This problem centered approach not only leads to inventions with practical uses but also fosters a mindset of innovation that can inspire customers. In essence, the road of invention becomes a quest to solve problems that matter, propelling meaningful and positive change.
If your ideas solve problems that are already solved, you must scrutinize them by closely, comparing them to established solutions to assure that your improvement is significant. Getting an audience to switch to a new product just because it is different can be a losing battle. But if you start your creative thought process with a meaningful problem it increases the likelihood of acceptance in the marketplace and reduces the risk of wasting time and money.
If you have already created an invention that was not based on a meaningful problem, stop and make sure it does solve a problem better than the established solutions. At this point you must take care that your opinion is unbiased because you are already fully invested. Get help from others and do research to get yourself back on track for success. If you are still not solving a problem, look for applications in other areas of life where it might solve problems.
We have established that 95% of patents don’t make it to commercialization. In this article from IP Watchdog, Chetan Sharma uses creative methodology to understand how to identify the 95% fallout from a corporate perspective. But the simple fact is: if you see that a problem is not important enough to warrant a solution, it’s time to pivot to a more meaningful problem as soon as possible. Identifying this need and coming to terms early in the process saves time and money. Refocusing your effort on the right problem, will significantly increase your likelihood of success.
The Remarkable Venture Inventing method safeguards you from skipping the critical action of identifying the problem during step 1. Remarkable Venture listings also makes the “Problem Statement” the main point of awareness for your listing audience. Why? To add value to your product development from the beginning and optimize your idea for success.
Innovation seeking companies also benefit from this structured method. They are naturally drawn to the right listings by recognizing the issues that their customers face in the Problem Statement. Reading a problem that they can identify with, creates anticipation to learn more about the solution which is why this listing method is so effective.
To continue the Remarkable Venture Inventing series, read: Remarkable Venture Inventing Step 2 – Create the Solution next.
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