Insights into the thought process that may lead to new product innovation

Feedback from my last article posted on 11 January 2017 entitled "Insights into Creativity and Innovative" has raised a number of questions that are difficult to respond in a clear and rational way. However, the Innovation thought process, from experience, is largely carried out in two of four levels of consciousness (2 and 3 below): 

(1). unconscious mind (fast asleep, little or no brain activity, not relevant)

(2). semiconscious mind (asleep, but at various stages during the dropping off to sleep or awakenings process, the mind is in rampant thought - dreaming)

(3). subconscious mind (typically when alone and awake in a sort of trance - staring out of the window, motorway driving, watching TV, walking, leaning over a drawing board – the mind is in rational thought – day dreaming)

(4). fully conscious states (awake and alert to everything but not necessarily focused on any particular topic long enough or in depth enough to think analytically due to distractions)

Semi and subconscious states of our minds think analytically, in rapid bursts of thought in full context and iteration, often resulting in creative outcomes. Dreams are provocative in their wide variety and above all in their originality. 

During my career spanning 4 decades in product design, and development work I experienced, on many occasions, my thought process at its best. Typically examples include the following situations, all gaining IP:

(a). During long 3 hour drives home after a meeting with a customers needing a new products to resolve new problems, in-order to overcome issues with pioneering network architectures. I would travel often alone in darkness along the motorway, totally engrossed mentally in finding solutions before getting home, then recording the thought process and design (sketch) before it was forgotten the next day.

(b). a senior European outside fibre plant engineer challenged me and our competitors to find an innovative solution that was plaguing his network cables, before he retired. This challenge was resolved, but it took 6 years of separate periods of connected thought. The solution was so simple yet so innovative, gleaned by pure chance on holiday lying by the pool noticing a feature on a totally unrelated product.

(c) the new product thought process often took place in bed through long period of poor sleep or in a state of semi consciousness. How this worked is a complete mystery, but it did more often than not. The biggest problem was when you thought you knew you had a good solution, by next morning you had forgot the design and/or thought process. Solution, pad and pen beside the bed – you just had time to wake and scribble notes and sketches, to brief the design team the next day- moving onto detail design, prototypes and customer proving trials.

(d). The process of innovation, that is to arrive at “an inventive step” for Interllectual Property thus product protection starts with an idea based on an analytically process of the mind to rationalise all the variables and possible solutions (mentioned in my first article) although important this is only the beginning.

Knocking this concept into a viable product requires a team of specialist to evaluate many additional requirements (technical and commercial), typically: detail design, capacity, prototypes, budgets, manufacturing issues, material selection, environmental performance (target standards) and customer appraisal, covering typically, functionality, cost, training, and delivery timescales.

The above process may appear strange even absurd, but three facts should be recognised;

(1). Our brain only uses a very small amount of memory and processing capacity during our life time when conscious;

(2) Some individuals has an extra ordinary ability: to memorise and recall facts, analyse numbers and images to create complex formula, achieve remarkable feats of numerical calculation, ability to advance knowledge and understanding and have incredible strategic vision.

(3).We have inherent instincts (some inactive) that provide positive outcomes for survival; vision of danger, senses and rapid assessment.   

Everyone know the potential power of dreams, and all within the scope of our brain to learn new connection paths or thoughts that allows us to invent from rationalising: historical facts and images, subject context, iteration for sifting options, creative options, identify originality,

Differences between thought and dreams we do not fully understand but it appears to work for some of us.