How do we get ideas? Sometimes out of the blue! Often by looking at something that’s already there. Perhaps when someone suggests something.But if you are alone, and wish to play at giving birth to ideas, have a go at The Monomatrix.
This works through combining the features of various noun and verb items.
For example, you could combine items to invent a product that holds up a book so that you can read whilst you eat! Or an alarm and camera built into your lunchbox in case a thief opens it!
In the example below, I have a mix of nouns (energy, funnel, sound, water, icecream, and bucket) and a verb (turning). The combination of funnel + icecream + turning gave us an Icecream Cone!
Similarly, with other combinations, we got the Waterwheel and Hydroelectric Power, and The Phonograph.
To use the monomatrix, place your finger on a word, slide to the right and down, or up; do the same with another word.
Where the two movements meet, place a mark in the diagonal-shaped checkbox.
For example, where ‘funnel’ and ‘sound’ have met in my example, I placed a blue dot . Where ‘water’ and ‘turning’ met, I planted a red square and so on.
You may make combinations with two or more items; it does not matter how many, as long as you come up with something useful. If you can then sell it, your invention becomes an innovation!
In the blank Monomatrix below, list your features (verbs and nouns) and play away!
Identifying yourself as an inventor can make your resume or job application stand out from the crowd. Employers may see you as a problem solver and creative thinker - a desirable feature in most organizations.
Also, discussing your inventions during an interview can set you apart from other applicants being interviewed for the position. A great invention can be the start of a great business venture.
[Excerpted from the 'Thinkerbelles' edition of The InGenius Series of bookazines by Dilip Mukerjea. All the images in this post are the intellectual property of Dilip Mukerjea.]
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