Well, I dont know If I am authorized to talk about it. I have invented nothing that mattered a lot so far. The only reason I allow myself to write this is because of the problems I have solved. Some of them have been tough nuts. My strong belief is that this process holds a clue that can lead to innovation and I wanted to define it out to myself to extent I have understood it.
I was browsing about what is it that leads to big inventions, much of material I found did not give me clear idea towards process of its birth. I think every one first needs to invent process of invention that works for him/her. Here is what I felt from my very limited experiences.
Innovation's birth place is mind. In order for it to take birth, a virtual world of the problem space you are dealing with has to be re-created in the mind. This is not over night process. As they say "God is in detail". Details have of problem space has to be keenly observed and absorbed. Step by step, atom by atom, electron by electron. Without any prejudice and with highest sensitivity and accuracy. Over time the virtual world continues to grow in size and details.
This problem space needs to be built very intensely in your mind. Benchmark of such intensity is, one should be able forget the external world completely when one enter's this virtual world. It should become like trans state of mind, like in deep meditation.
This is nothing different from settling down in another planet. Duration for which one can stay in another planet depends on the supplies stored. Duration of staying in this state of trans in virtual world depends on the details one has absorbed. Higher and finer details ones holds greater the duration of stay. Greater the duration of stay greater the possibility of solving the problem or inventing something new. On the other hand during early stage of this process not all details are absorbed so there will be frequent entry and exits out of this state. Exit's to absorb the missing details from real world. If you are aware of how Computer Cache's work you would understand this better. There is no real auto pilot mode. You need to make an conscious effort to make this sub-conscious mind to the do the work. It has to be intense, focused and pro-longed effort.
Another Benchmark of such clarity is you should be able to get in to context of problem space in split second. It needs to be continuously refined to make it clear. Immediate practical application is being able to write better programs. Check this out Holding Program in One's head.
I have found a close alignment to way's of Tesla. No I am not claiming to be him but all I am saying is this stuff I have experienced in some discrete forms is closent I have come to defining it. Snippet from "The Power of your Subconscious Mind", About Tesla: When an new idea came in to his mind, he would build it up in his imagination, knowing that his subconscious mind would reconstruct and reveal to his conscious mind all the parts needed for its manufacture in its concrete form." Mainly the information absorbed needs to be consciously organized in mind for sub-conscious mind to work of it. I know its not a easy process and relentless work but worth the effort.
Archimedes's eureka moments are as result of living in such world. Its not a accident, its hard work and deep meditation on the problem.
Barrier for innovation has raised in today's world. There is already so much that has been invented and as humans we need to build on the top of what has been already done. Now the point is in order to do that effectively in a chosen field what has been already known has to be on the top of head. It has to be well organized in mind. This needs to be done in order to not to repeat the inventions. When what is known is known in best possible ways we can invent what is not known.
For programmers like us who all the time deal with the computer programs, we are really living in a virtual world. Tesla's process application needs little bit more effort since virtual world imagined here does not exist physically et all. What I am adding to what has already captured by many is you can't innovate if you can't live with the problem as naturally you live at home. Innovation space needs to become part of life. One should be able to correlate it to life and live intimately with it. This intimacy is what finally leads to birth of innovation.
