Introduction
Science & Technology is very important in the growth, development, maturation and sustainability of our world.
Science & Technology play an important role in our lives. Inventions and innovations in this sector have been shown to make life easier for us. Improvements can be seen in all aspects of human life: health, transportation, communication, education, government, business, security, etc.
“Is there anything wrong with Science and Technology?” You might ask. The problem is not with Science and Technology, in and of themselves. We, as humans, are the ones who would decide how we are going to make use of Technology – for good or for evil. Whether or not problems arise depend largely on what we do with technology.
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A product usually starts off as an idea before it becomes an actual, physical or tangible product. Inventing a new product may start with a thought – just a thought or an idea. This idea can be thought through. It can be developed. There are different levels or stages we can identify that the idea goes through => from Idea to Product. There are different stages involved in the invention or creation of a product. I call them the, “Emergent Creative Life Cycle – Stages in the Creative Process”. It begins at the “Initial Idea Stage” and extends up to the “Constant & Continuous Improvements Stage”:
Initial Idea => Questions, Research => Expanded Idea => Prototype (Putting the Idea to Work; Prototype Testing and Analysis) => Copyrights & Patents (U.S. Trademark and Patent Office,
www.uspto.gov) => Financing (Angel Investors; The Government as an Investor) => Product – Actual Product (Product Testing; User Feedback; Product Improvement; Product Release) => User Feedback (Encourage Continuous User Feedback; Incentivize User Feedback; Act on User Feedback) => Constant & Continuous Improvements => Initial Idea (or Evolved Idea).
Below is a pathmap of the entire program:
Course Schedule:
1. Week 1: Initial Idea
2. Week 2: Questions, Research
3. Week 3: Expanded Idea
4. Week 4: Prototype
a) Putting the Idea to Work
b) Prototype Testing and Analysis
5. Week 5: Copyrights & Patents
6. Week 6: Financing
a) Angel Investors
b) The Government as an Investor
7. Weeks 7 & 8: Product – Actual Product (Consumer Utility)
a) Product Testing [Beta Stage]
b) User Feedback
c) Product Improvement – Adjustments, Modifications
d) Product Release
i. Mass Production
ii. Mass Marketing
iii. Product Availability – Work Local Think Global
a. Local Audience
b. Global Audience
8. Week 9: User Feedback
a) Encourage Continuous User (or Customer) Feedback
b) Incentivize User Feedback
c) Act on User Feedback – take feedback seriously
9. Week 10: Constant & Continuous Improvements – The Kaizen Principle
a) “Kaizen” – Japanese for, “Change for better”.
10. Weeks 11 & 12: Course Revision and Individual or Group Project Presentation
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Techy Nuggets:
“Technology gives us power, but it does not and cannot tell us how to use that power. Thanks to technology, we can instantly communicate across the world, but it still doesn't help us know what to say.” – Jonathan Sacks
“A nation that must grow and be prosperous needs citizens who would dedicate themselves to taking time out to think, analyze and work on scientific/technological research.” - aDay
“A key area of emphasis for us, should be to inspire inventions and innovations, maturation and sustainability of the Science & Technology sector of our national life…” - aDay
“To excel in Science and Technology, developing countries need to harness the power of teamwork, effective organization and proper maintenance culture. Inventors and innovators need to be discovered, encouraged, rewarded and celebrated…” - aDay
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"Invent iT" - Developed by Oghenekaro E. Akamune for: A Day in the Life of a Technology Developer, aDay © All Rights Reserved.
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Photo Credits: Courtesy, Frog Design (http://www.frogdesign.com) and Innoson Nigeria (http://www.innosongroup.com)
