Idea Generators as I like to refer them as, typically have a life-changing, great idea that is constantly nagging them or that they feel a good amount of passion for—most of the time the problem lies in what to do next.
We will have to dig deep and try our best to find answers to these important questions.
What is your idea? Can you easily explain your idea to a 5th grader?
First and foremost, you want to describe your idea in the simplest terms so that everybody from a young adult to your grandparent can understand it. Skip all the technical jargon and leave the details for the tech notes or professionals. Try to narrow down and focus on a certain aspect that will capture your audience’s attention and explain its purpose.
Example: I want to develop a keyboard that has the ability to heat up to warm up my fingers on cold winter days and keep my hands cool on summer nights.
Why are you so passionate about your idea? Everyone has a story of the origin of their idea, know this story well and be able to share it!
Showing passion for your idea instantly makes your idea more appealing. Behind every idea is it’s origin and from its origin is a story that will be useful in fleshing out your idea. Was this a chance discovery or was your idea a work in progress over several years?
Example: Continuing on the keyboard example, the idea came to me one freezing winter night when I was on the internet and despite having the heat on and having layers of clothes on, I couldn’t get my fingers to warm up. The exact same thought resurfaces every year when I find myself in the same predicament, but no solution. Why isn’t there anybody making a keyboard warmer?
Who is your target audience? Who may desperately need your idea?
There are the people who you are trying to sell your idea to, and there are people out there that will possibly greatly benefit from your idea or product. Make sure you know who they are and their ability to acquire your idea (costs etc.). You can further narrow this category down by looking at life style, health status, where they live, sex, age, ethnicity, class, environment even social status and the list goes on.
Example: I want to target computer users. It’s a large population, but specifically I want to target people around the high school age and beyond. My ideal user is someone who spends a lot of time on the computer, gaming, doing schoolwork, surfing the web or working.
Who else has the same or a similar idea? Know your potential competitors!
Research is vital in figuring out how to proceed. I would spend a significant amount of time researching to see if your idea has been used before, are there any patents currently filed with similar technology and whether or not there is a huge customer base interested. Similarly, I would find a technology J or a business incubator that can provide or a process on how to begin cautiously and finish smart.
Example: I would type key phrases into the search engine and read up on articles and possibly research papers about the topic. Use search engines like google – patent search (http://www.google.com/advanced_patent_search). Next, I would consult with a professional about building a plan and finding a way to carry out this plan.
What will this idea mean to the future, the present and the past?
Sometimes your idea is a continuation to another person’s idea, something that adds onto the importance of the former. You want to acknowledge the significance behind the original idea, but also put a positive spin on your idea. So what does this mean in correspondence to the past, present and future? For instance, we can take the telephone. The idea of having a phone that you were able to take with you outside of the house or a pay phone was preposterous until the invention of satellites which gave inventors the ability to bring their idea to reality. So how do past inventions corresponding to your idea affect the present and future? Where is this particular technology heading?
Other Important questions to ask yourself:
a) When do we see results once the idea is implemented?
b) Will your idea be beneficial to society?
c) Where do you intend to build your start up?
d) How will you earn profit? Can I make a profit?
Now that you have read through all the questions, it’s time to grab the bull by the horns and get down to business. I dare say you might learn something about yourself in the process.
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