Based on my experience I would say this (and this is assuming you are an innovator working in a company that has some team/resources -- and not an individual)
Participate in Ideation Sessions.
These are often unconference-like sessions where people try to think about new ideas or projects that they want to do. It's not about invention but really about coming up with new problems/ideas. Try to have diverse people in these sessions (folks from data sciences, UX/UI, systems, front-end, devops ...) and just feed ideas off each other and build on them. This helps get you into that mode of understanding how different pieces fit, and potentially gets you collaborating on projects (or with people) you would not have envisioned otherwise. The 20% project idea is a great example.
Be a co-author on the first disclosure.
Work with someone else who has done this before so you can learn from them. If you did (1) then chances are that when the time comes to patent something there, that you have a number of contributors. Know what your contribution is - but let someone else take the lead in the writeup and ask how you can help. There are many parts to writing and learning to do them all takes time.
Volunteer. Volunteer. Volunteer.
Many companies have dedicated patent committees with senior folks and lots of backlogs. They usually need volunteers to do a ton of spadework (e.g., find relevant art for this idea) - ask if you can help. If others senior innovators are doing a "scrub" (session where a project is explored for IP) ask if you can sit in and listen and take notes for them. Be present.
After a few cycles not only will you be a better thinker, but you will start seeing the patterns and people that can help boost your understanding.
Thank you, Nitya! These are great suggestions. I especially love the idea of being a co-author, allowing yourself to have a guiding hand makes so much sense when traversing anything for the first time!
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Hi Nitya!
From an educator's perspective - how do you encourage creative confidence in a first time innovator?
Another great question!!!
Based on my experience I would say this (and this is assuming you are an innovator working in a company that has some team/resources -- and not an individual)
Participate in Ideation Sessions.
These are often unconference-like sessions where people try to think about new ideas or projects that they want to do. It's not about invention but really about coming up with new problems/ideas. Try to have diverse people in these sessions (folks from data sciences, UX/UI, systems, front-end, devops ...) and just feed ideas off each other and build on them. This helps get you into that mode of understanding how different pieces fit, and potentially gets you collaborating on projects (or with people) you would not have envisioned otherwise. The 20% project idea is a great example.
Be a co-author on the first disclosure.
Work with someone else who has done this before so you can learn from them. If you did (1) then chances are that when the time comes to patent something there, that you have a number of contributors. Know what your contribution is - but let someone else take the lead in the writeup and ask how you can help. There are many parts to writing and learning to do them all takes time.
Volunteer. Volunteer. Volunteer.
Many companies have dedicated patent committees with senior folks and lots of backlogs. They usually need volunteers to do a ton of spadework (e.g., find relevant art for this idea) - ask if you can help. If others senior innovators are doing a "scrub" (session where a project is explored for IP) ask if you can sit in and listen and take notes for them. Be present.
After a few cycles not only will you be a better thinker, but you will start seeing the patterns and people that can help boost your understanding.
Thank you, Nitya! These are great suggestions. I especially love the idea of being a co-author, allowing yourself to have a guiding hand makes so much sense when traversing anything for the first time!