Brainstorming

miga Research and Development, Inc.

Brainstorming

A product idea can either appear in a flash of inspiration or develop through years of creative thinking. Brainstorming and keeping a journal is an excellent way to keep track of your product ideas. Bring your journal everywhere and collect writing, sketches, and research that may inspire a product idea in the future.

Exercises for Idea Formulation are easy and fun, and they can add creative enjoyment to your product idea search. Try some of these idea building methods.

Go Shopping : Visit your local shopping center. Look at everything. What items are displayed most prominently? Which items seem tucked away to be ignored? Which products gain people's attention? Are the products geared toward a specific age or gender? Are they available in various stores? Where is the best price? Are there ideas to be formulated here?

Revamp a Household Product : Examine commonly used products in the home. Reconstruct a product, but package it differently, modify it, add additional functions. Are there ideas to be formulated here?

Supply Stores : Visit home improvement stores, art supply stores, and hardware stores. What materials offer an assortment of uses? Are there new products? Are there ideas to be formulated here?

Everyday Problems : Look for problems or inconveniences in everyday life. Talk to people of varying gender, age, and culture. Do they experience problems specific to their grouping? Is it a problem that effects people across the board? Is there a solution? Are there ideas to be formulated here?

Magazines : Look at current product advertisements and articles in a variety of magazines. Don't limit yourself to conventional magazines. Pick up a variance of specialty issues. Ask yourself whom the products are geared toward: sex, age, etc.? In the specialty magazines, which theme struck you most as unusual? Are there ideas to be formulated here?

Browse the Internet : Click on the commonly found "What's New" links and take note of similarities in areas of interest and development. Do these areas lend themselves to formulating ideas?

Library : History and current culture are equally as important as looking to the future. Take note of what areas of production have repeatedly lent themselves to product advancement. What interests you? Are there ideas to be formulated here?

Paper and Pen Brainstorming : Time yourself, you have one minute. Pick a specific area of interest and list as many problems, issues, or difficulties associated with it. From this list, concentrate on a single problem and list simple solutions available. Are there ideas to be formulated here?

Once a concept has developed, basic steps must be taken to bring your product idea to tangible form.