Unlocking Innovation: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creative Problem Solving (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: Innovation. What is it? How do you do it? Innovation is all about coming up with new ideas or improving old ones. We can think about innovation as a process to create these ideas and test them. From scientists to designers, artists to engineers, anyone can innovate to solve problems. This process starts off with a need or a challenge. What is a problem that you might like to solve? Have a think about all the different ways to solve this problem. What already exists? What materials can you use? Think about some inspiration from the world around you or even ask some friends to help you come up with some ideas. Then make a prototype. A prototype is like a draft. It doesn't have to be perfect or work properly or even use the same materials as the final product. Often you'll make lots and lots of prototypes before your final design. In order to figure out whether it does what you want it to do, you need to test it. This is often the part where you learn the most about your idea. Is your prototype doing what you want it to do? Can you improve it? What changes would you like to make? After testing your prototype, figure out what you want to change and refine it. Did it fail completely? Great. Use this failure as feedback to help improve it. You can change something big or small or even go back to the drawing board and start from the beginning. Innovation is nothing new. Everyone has done it at some point in their lives, whether it's making a new invention, coming up with a new dance routine or even writing a story. Have a look around you. Are there any problems or challenges that you'd like to solve? Next time you have a problem, have a go using this process. Have a go thinking, making, trying and refining. You never know what you could come up with.