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- Invention and innovation: An introduction
Invention and innovation: An introduction

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Course content
- Introduction
- Learning outcomes
- 1 Part 1 Investigating the innovation process
- 2 Part 1: 1 Living with innovation
- 3 Part 1: 2 Exploring innovation
- 4 Part 1: 3 Inventing the telephone and living with the innovation
- 4 Part 1: 3 Inventing the telephone and living with the innovation
- 4.1 An explanation
- 4.2 When and where was the telephone invented?
- 4.3 Who invented the telephone?
- 4.4 What was innovative about the telephone?
- 4.5 Was the telephone invented in response to a need or because of developments in technology?
- 4.6 Was the telephone an immediate success?
- 4.7 Has telephone design changed over time?
- 4.8 Has the telephone led to any related or spin-off products?
- 4.9 A consumer's experience of innovation
- 4.10 What has been learnt from the history of the telephone?
- 5 Part 1: 4 Key concepts
- 5 Part 1: 4 Key concepts
- 5.1 Introduction to key concepts
- 5.2 Inventors and inventions
- 5.3 Designs
- 5.4 Product champion
- 5.5 Entrepreneur
- 5.6 Improver
- 5.7 Innovation
- 5.8 Dominant design
- 5.9 Robust design and lean design
- 5.10 Radical innovation and incremental innovation
- 5.11 Sustaining innovation and disruptive innovation
- 5.12 Process innovation
- 5.13 Diffusion and suppression
- 5.14 Compact fluorescents and new developments
- 5.15 Intellectual property and patents
- 6 Part 1: 5 Dead certs and dead ends
- 7 Part 1: 6 Self-assessment questions
- 8 Part 1: 7 Key points of Part 1
- 9 Part 2: Invention
- 10 Part 2: 1 How invention starts
- 10.1 What motivates individuals to invent?
- 10.2 Scientific or technical curiosity
- 10.3 Constructive discontent
- 10.4 Desire to make money
- 10.5 Desire to help others
- 10.6 What drives invention in organisations?
- 10.7 Business strategy
- 10.8 Need to improve product or process
- 10.9 Opportunity offered by a new material, technology or manufacturing process
- 11 Part 2: 2 How the process of invention works
- 14 Part 2: 5 Self-assessment questions
- 15 Part 2: 6 Key points of Part 2
- 16 Part 3: Innovation
- 17 Part 3: 1 Overcoming obstacles to innovation
- 18 Part 3: 2 Diffusion of innovations
- 19 Part 3: 3 Sustaining and disruptive innovation
- 20 Part 3: 4 Phases and waves of innovation
- Part 3: 5 Self-assessment questions
- 22 Part 3: 6 Key points of Part 3
- Conclusion
- Keep on learning
- References
- Acknowledgements
- This site has Copy Reuse Tracking enabled - see our FAQs for more information.
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This free course includes adapted extracts from an Open University course which is no longer available to new students. If you found this interesting you could explore more free Design & Innovation courses or view the range of currently available OU Design & Innovation courses.
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