Step 2: Brainstorm Possible Solutions

What’s needed next? Brainpower! Think creatively. Brainstorm possible solutions that will meet the need. Sometimes a great idea comes in a flash. But more often, it takes time and lots of mental energy.

Where Can I Put a Cup Holder on My Bike?

You study the handlebars on your bike. Hmm.… You need something like your water bottle holder, but it needs to be smaller and stubbier. It could be made out of wire.… It has to attach to the handlebars somehow.…

You get a paper and a pencil and start to sketch what the cup holder might look like. After a few minutes you come up with a design that you think could work. It’s made with things you know you can find around your house.

An inventor’s sketch

An inventor’s sketch

Cup Holder Prototype

handlebars

wire

plastic bottle bottom