October 2012
Photo © Steven Paley.
Steven J. Paley is an inventor, entrepreneur, and teacher with over 25 years experience in business and technology. He served as CEO and chief technical officer of the Texwipe Company, a manufacturer of specialized contamination control products. Paley holds nine US patents and numerous international patents and is a graduate of Stanford University's Product Design program.
Most recently, he founded Arise Technologies, which teaches robotics and engineering to special needs and gifted children. He was inspired to write The Art of Invention as a guide to teaching creative thinking to his students.
Every year the American Library Association's Choice Reviews selects a limited number of books to be honored as Outstanding Academic Titles for that year. The Art of Invention was selected as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2011.
"This wonderful book is about creativity, invention, and the process details for achieving the end goal. Simplicity, elegance, robustness, and iteration are some of the key ideas."
—Choice
"The author also focuses on the work of others, exploring inventions from the paper clip to the personal computer in an attempt to demonstrate the creative mental processes that drive innovation. According to Paley, defining the need comes first: "The more specific and well-defined the problem; the clearer the solution," he writes. After the need is defined, a good invention requires a research phase, brainstorming, and a period of time where the subconscious mind works on the problem until it arrives at a clear solution. Then begin refining and testing. Clearly, Paley's system has application to any creative undertaking, and readers across a wide spectrum of occupations and interests will find inspiration."
—Publishers Weekly
The Art of Invention by
In this entertaining and insightful exploration of the process of invention, an experienced inventor vividly illustrates how great inventions embody three crucial characteristics--simplicity, elegance, and robustness. Whether you're an aspiring inventor or an experienced designer, the author's expertise, personal examples, and case studies offer detailed guidance on conceptualizing your ideas and turning them into reality. The author shows how ideas can come from a variety of sources such as the natural world, basic physical principles, life experience, or even chance observations. He examines how intuition and the harnessing of subconscious information are key ingredients for the inventive process. He concludes with an in-depth look at the business of invention and the typical inventor's toolkit. He addresses the real-world challenges of turning a good idea into a practical, marketable application, including patents, marketing, and entrepreneurship. He is candid about the realities of hard work and the need to learn from the inevitable mistakes along the way. Full of insights and practical guidance from a successful inventor and entrepreneur, this book will open new avenues of creativity for budding and accomplished inventors alike.