How to invent a bicycle

Every now and then, an idea will stick to my mind and will not let go so easily. The invention will materialize in my imagination in different shapes and forms, and sometimes the idea will be so pervasive that I will put effort into making it happen. This "bug" may be a completely new thought or just an improvement on some previous development, but in any case, I predict that most readers here are not immune from the inventor syndrome either. From personal experience, I can say that the brain children of plenty of inventors, entrepreneurs, designers, and artists go through the following life cycle that I'd like to call instinctive idea generation:

1. An image of a final product suddenly pops up in the thinker's mind
2. The image goes through some massaging and development as a thought
3. The owner of the image puts it down on paper
4. A model of the conceptual product goes through tests
5. A final version of the product comes out into the markets

Realistic or not, this sequence is a recipe for creative disaster. It can work with aesthetic creations, but with anything else, the five-step system above fails to ensure that the product meets a need or serves any sort of purpose. Therefore, even if the final product manages to reach the point of launch, its best chance of success will be to become a fad, and then quickly die out. That resonates with the idea that instinctive idea generation may create a cool-looking object, but consumers will quickly realize its lack of meaning and abandon it to the creator's despair.

Nevertheless; I plead thee, innovator: Do not despair. Things are not so hopeless for the creative thinkers out there. The best way to ensure that a project fulfills a purpose is to start with a question or a problem instead of a ready image. As an illustration of a successful innovation-based venture, Artemy Lebedev Studio published overviews of the creation process for each of their designs. For them, every project starts with a clearly formulated goal. Then they proceed to the fun part of thinking and creating. The results are stable and sound.

We would love to hear about your experiences with innovation and creative business models. Furthermore, NVSBS strongly encourages innovative thinking and is here for any visionary who might want some advice about the practical side of it all. We look forward to seeing new comments and subscriptions, and you will hear from us on Sunday! Have a good Friday now.