Reflection About The Behind The Scenes Experience of Inventions

The topic I chose for this project goes in depth in the process of inventing a product and releasing it to the world. I chose this topic because we, as users of technology, do not really think about how one certain invention was processed or about the steps an inventor had to go through. I believe that if people became more aware of the behind the scene experience, they would appreciate what they have more than they do now. In addition, I am a person who is interested in science and technology. Therefore, I tend to choose a theme that I enjoy gathering information about. The new inventions and products we see in our daily life have become one of the most powerful things in our human life. Inventions are life transforming; not only do they affect one persons life, but they are able to transform how the whole world do one thing or another. I believe that this is a powerful ability that a creative inventor could have. I could define power as a type of energy that is able to affect other creatures either positively or negatively. I began my research by looking up the history of inventions. I believe that having some historical knowledge about a subject is the best way to approach it. I collected some informative and helpful resources, and then began researching about the must-do steps to create a new product. One of the first steps was brainstorming and design. Inventors go through a long process to find the most efficient design. I was inspired by the amount of work that is put into designing a useful product. One of the problems I had was finding a credible source. Apparently, not so many people write about what happens during the procedure of production. However, I managed to find a good amount of helpful sources.

I have added a lot to my general knowledge by researching about this topic. One of the things I did not know prior to my research was that after inventing a new product, marketing it plays the most important role in the whole process. Some inventors would need to take business courses or hire someone to lead the marketing manner for them. After I have done my research, I began to more appreciate the inventions I use on a daily basis, as I used to take them for granted. For instance, I cannot imagine how my academic life would be without the use of technology. I would be writing this reflection using a pencil and a notebook, and would only be able to edit it with an eraser. The article I found most helpful was "Inventors Insider: 5 Tips for Creating a Prototype" by Marcia Talbert. She offered a lot of good tips on how to make a prototype, which is another major step in developing an invention. Another source I found helpful was Kickstarter, which is a website that helps inventors to collect funds before starting their projects. Finally, the process of making this project has taught me how to choose an important meaningful topic, but an attention-grabbing one at the same time. It has also given me the chance to explore, in detail, a specific subject of my interests. The process of researching would definitely help me in my future classes and projects. Also, gaining this amount of information would add more to my general knowledge, which could help me in my career and personal life.

Annotated Bibliography for The Behind The Scenes Experience of Inventing

Boatman, Kim. "How to Bring Your Invention to Market." Inc.com. 28 Apr. 2009. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. <http://www.inc.com/guides/solo_business/invention-to-market.html>. The subtitle for this article, Here's a step-by-step process for turning a good idea for a new invention into a financial success, explains it all. In his article, Kim Boatman focuses on the financial side of the invention process. He starts with listing the steps to a financial success, and then he shares, in detail, a number of important factors an inventor should address. Desperately Seeking Inventors. Digital image. Powerful Infographic. 6 Mar. 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. <http://powerfulinfographic.com/?p=2809>. This is a powerful and a revealing infoghrapic that includes statistics about young people and how they want to change the world. It shows the percentage of the ones who do want to change the world, and then it reveals the areas in which they want to contribute. "How to Get a Patent." The United States Patent and Trademark Office. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. <http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/howtopat.htm>. This is the official United States Patent and Trademark Office. In this link, all the applications for filing patents are categorized by their types. It is an essential source for inventors who want their inventions to be officially documented. "Inventions." History.com. A&E Television Networks, Web. 15 Apr. 2014. <http://www.history.com/topics/inventions>. This section of Histroy.com has a lot of decent materials about inventions and inventors. It mostly focuses on the most famous inventors and the inventions we use on daily basis. This source has not only well-presented articles, but also informative and fascinating videos. It would definitely be perfect for collecting information about the basic history of inventions. Inventors and Inventions. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. <http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/>. Enchanted Learning has an enormous database that includes almost every inventor with his or her inventions. Anyone can look up information about a specific invention, or can go through the categories to get a list of inventors. These categories include clothing, communication, and transportation.

Kickstarter. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. <https://www.kickstarter.com/>. Kickstarter is one of the most popular crowdfunding website. This websites helps inventors to collect funds before starting their projects. People who want to help funding a new project can either donate or prepay for the product for a special price. If a project is successfully funded, the website applies a 5% fee to the funds collected. Monosoff, Tamara. "Reinventing The Inventor." Entrepreneur. 10 Jan. 2007. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. <http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/172668>. This is an interesting article by Tamara Monosoff about how an inventor should not only focus on the idea of the product, but also on how to be a smart businessperson. She talks about the importance of research before spending time and money on a certain invention. Tamara also mentions how vital it is to not stop learning and gives tips on licensing the idea. PatentFile. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. <http://patentfile.org/>. This website goes more into detail about filing patents. The articles posted in this website are very informative and have rich content. They answer common questions about the process of filing a patent including the cost of it, the requirements, and the time related questions. PatentFile also provides three helpful sections: Patent Examples, Patent Template, and Patent Services. Pierce, Sarah. "5 Steps for Turning Your Idea Into a Product." Entrepreneur. 30 May 2005. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. <http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/77962>. In this article published by Entrepreneur, Sarah Pierce discusses the basic steps to turn an idea to a product. This article would be a helpful source to get a general idea of what an inventor should follow to share his invention with the world. The five steps are documenting the idea, research it, make a prototype, file a patent, and finally market the invention. Talbert, Marcia. "Inventors Insider: 5 Tips for Creating a Prototype." Black Enterprise. 2 Sept. 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. <http://www.blackenterprise.com/smallbusiness/inventors-insider-5-tips-for-creating-a-prototype/>. Since prototyping is an essential step in developing a new invention, Marcia Talbert explains shares five useful tips for creating a prototype. She starts the article with a story about an invention called Lock Laces and how it is now sold on popular websites like Amazon and eBay. After that, Marcia lists suggested tips to build a useful prototype, which includes creating a tangible prototype, and not disclosing the idea to manufactures.