Innovation is an essential process in any type of business. Manufacturers try to create innovative products that attract the attention of consumers, and office workers work to come up with helpful solutions to their clients’ dilemmas. This raises the question: what exactly does it take to be innovative?
It’s not hard to come up with an idea, but coming up with an idea that stands out among a million others can be a struggle. If you are struggling to find inspiration, use this guide to learn how you can find your own innovative process.
Research New Problems People are Facing
One of the key ideas behind innovation is providing solutions. People create new inventions and ideas so they can solve problems that many people are dealing with. If you spend too much time trying to find a solution to a problem that has already been solved, you won’t find a lot of inspiration.
Therefore, to be innovative you have to research new problems that have yet to be solved. Speak with your clients to learn about issues they have that your company can help them with. When you have a problem to solve it will be a lot easier to find inspiration.
Collaborate with Others
Not all of the best ideas come from one individual. Many of the greatest business strategies and inventions have come from many collaborators who worked together to bring a collection of ideas to life. If you’re struggling to innovate in your industry, perhaps you should work with someone else in that industry.
Discuss your ideas with your co-workers, and listen to any ideas they might have. You can give each other feedback, and even talk about collaborating on certain projects. By working together, you may be able to accomplish a lot more than on your own.
Simply put: try to surround yourself with people who will inspire you to do the best work you possibly can.
Never Stop with a Single Idea
While it can be tempting to stick with a single idea during the creative process, this is not an advisable strategy. After all, there’s always a chance your original plan may not pan out perfectly. Since you don’t have a plan set in stone yet, it would be wise to think of alternative ideas to fall back on in case things don’t work out as planned.
Try to come up with alternative solutions to the problems you want to solve, and keep track of the pros and cons of each one. Test your ideas with your co-workers and clients and see what they think of them. Use the feedback you get to adjust some ideas, while tossing out the ones that have no chance of working.
Having several options to choose from is always a good idea when you want to be innovative.
Don’t Be Afraid of Risks
No one ever said the innovative process was easy. If you want to see your ideas become a reality, you can’t be afraid to take a few risks every once in a while. Tackling an issue that few have dealt with before can be challenging, since you don’t necessarily know how things will turn out.
Never be afraid to test your ideas, even if you are worried about getting criticism from your peers. You shouldn’t be reckless, however, because if you take too many risks your plans can fall apart quickly.
If you are struggling to innovate, maybe you need to make your workspace more comfortable. Use these tips from Ergotron to make your workspace more ergonomic.
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