The Inventor's Mind

There are certain types of products that we use on a day to day process, things that we don’t even realize we need unless we don’t have it or run out. One of these items is soap.  Recently, I have noticed a surge of energy in soap products that has been brought on by the development of foaming action.  All of these years we have been using liquid soap, and there hasn’t been much innovation except new fragrances and funky bottle shapes, nothing truly compelling. But when you change the consistency, it changes the world as we know it.  Sure it’s cheaper, but is it easier to apply? I don’t know. Does it smell better? Maybe, maybe not. But the fact is that it is just cooler.  This describes an aspect of the design process, the innovation aspect.  It is something we do here every day.  A lot of the things that we work on aren’t new and futuristic products. They are things that have existed for a long time and we are simply transforming them to make them better.  Just like changing the consistency of the soap, we change colors, features, and mechanisms that make a product easier to use, more attractive, and more likable.  The motto here at trident is “transforming everyday tasks into opportunities to enjoy life.”

-Nile

How do you become a successful inventor? I’m not really sure. It’s definitely an extremely difficult question to answer. There are many variations, many different paths and they don’t all lead to success. In fact, most don’t lead you anywhere or take you on the scenic route. I tend to feel that unless you are extremely gifted or just really lucky you’re usually walking on the scenic route. It’s all part of the process, we all try to walk the line but it always seems easier to stray and only once you’ve strayed too far do you realize you’re going in the wrong direction. If you have the right attitude and the will to push on through you will eventually reach your destination. If you asked Chris this question he would tell you that “there are so many ways to approach success but the most solid and consistent approach is to stay focused and be genuine in your actions. Good marketing is key, but if you provide genuinely good content you will receive long term success.”

Chris has been asked to participate in an interview that will take place on the launch Hour, a weekly radio show for innovators, product developers & entrepreneurs. Hopefully the questions won’t be so deep and will have somewhat more of a straightforward answer; otherwise Chris will probably be sweating it out.   the launch hour podcast will air 2/24/2011.  To be honest Chris is an innovator, product developer, and entrepreneur so I’m sure he will be fine. As well as participating in the radio show/podcast Chris will be offering his knowledge in depth in monthly classes starting in April. Chris has decided to give back to the invention community with a series of informative classes using real world examples from his life and experiences. The intention is to prepare up and coming inventors for the realities of the business as well as encourage them to push as hard as they can.

-Nile

My wife and I were visiting my family up in the Toledo, Ohio region and had a lovely Christmas. My niece and nephew (5-year old boy and girl twins) received lots of cool toys. It’s amazing how much variety there is and how many cool things now exist for exploring the imagination. It makes me wonder how all this stimulation will affect their minds as they age.

Will they be super-imaginative due to their relatively unlimited access to different ways to express themselves? The modern toys have much greater fidelity and flexibility than the ones I had. Or perhaps the plethora of options will stunt their imaginations, as all the expressions of their creativity can be manifested externally, without having to rely on mind’s eye hallucinations to add vivid elements to their creations. Or is the net effect a wash? My guess is that it overall adds to the imaginative capacity of these children and we will see an increase in the imaginativeness of the coming generations. There is likely to be some cost, however. Perhaps it will come in the form of a greater reliance on external devices to express creativity, generating a certain type of dependence on machines/ technology.

I suppose if this is the case, we will already be seeing this in some form in people of my generation (‘x’ I believe.), who have grown up with an already much greater variety of expressive opportunities than our parents. And I suppose we do see this.

Anyway, it makes one think.