Breakthrough Ideas
Some important distinctions to consider as you move forward are those between inventions, improvements and innovations.
- An invention is something that has never been seen before; it is an attempt by the inventor to meet an immediate need not yet met in the marketplace.
- Take social media for example as a means of broad, real time communication. The first social media site that everyone can agree actually was social media was a website called Six Degrees. It was named after the ‘six degrees of separation’ theory and lasted from 1997 to 2001. Six Degrees allowed users to create a profile and then friend other users.
- An innovation is when an invention moves from the hands of an inventor to the production line of a manufacturing plant, so that the masses can have access to the good.
- From Six Degrees, the internet moved into the era of blogging and instant messaging. Eventually, this lead to a whole range of computer-mediated tools that allow people to create, share or exchange information, career interests, ideas, and pictures/videos in virtual communities and networks. Familiar social media include: Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Pinterest, You Tube, etc.
- An improvement is an incremental change to an innovation that retains the integrity of the product, but improves its features or functionality.
- A recent example is the shift of many social media platforms to mobile-based applications that are available for download and use on mobile phones.
Video
A TED talk by Navi Radjou on creative problem-solving
This illustration shows the cycle of innovation. It is an ongoing process. 
The best organizations and companies are constantly asking themselves how they can better serve their clients. First, the invention is created by someone who is attempting to address the clients' needs - sometimes this is someone in a company's Research and Development Department; sometimes it is someone tinkering in their basement or workshop. Then improvements are made to the invention, until such time as it can be patented and mass produced or manufactured, and offered publicly in the marketplace. Innovations constantly undergo changes, or improvements, to make them more functional and more attractive to clients. But just how does one come up with these ideas?
Video
A TED talk by Richard Turere about an inventive idea.