Calibrate whether the problem requires invention or just search
Determine whether your problem is already solved elsewhere before investing in original invention.
Key takeaways
- What it is: Determine whether your problem is already solved elsewhere before investing in original invention.
- Why it works: Altshuller classified inventions on a scale from level 1 (routine design: solution known in the field) to level 5 (discovery: new phenomenon required). Most practitioners over-estimate the novelty of their problem and under-invest in search, while genuine level-4 and level-5 problems get under-resourced because they look solvable with level-1 search. Calibrating the invention level prevents both wasted creative effort on solved problems and superficial search on genuinely hard ones.
- Evidence: Practitioner experience / self-report; no formal study.
- Avoid: Treating every problem as requiring original invention, which wastes effort rediscovering solutions that already exist and are simply unfamiliar.
Why it works
Altshuller classified inventions on a scale from level 1 (routine design: solution known in the field) to level 5 (discovery: new phenomenon required). Most practitioners over-estimate the novelty of their problem and under-invest in search, while genuine level-4 and level-5 problems get under-resourced because they look solvable with level-1 search. Calibrating the invention level prevents both wasted creative effort on solved problems and superficial search on genuinely hard ones.
How to do it
- 1Ask: "If I searched the literature, competitors, or adjacent industries for 2 hours, would I likely find this problem solved?" If yes, the invention level is low — search first.
- 2If search returns nothing close, ask: "Does solving this require a new principle or just a new combination of known principles?"
- 3Allocate creative investment proportionally: low-level problems get deep search; high-level problems get systematic inventive techniques.
What the evidence says
AnecdotalAltshuller’s five-level classification is a practitioner taxonomy from his patent analyses, not a psychologically validated scale. Its value is as a calibration heuristic: it prevents mismatching creative effort to problem difficulty.
Honest caveat: The level classification is a rough guide; many real problems span levels, and the boundary between "search" and "invention" is often unclear until after the fact.
Common mistake
Treating every problem as requiring original invention, which wastes effort rediscovering solutions that already exist and are simply unfamiliar.
IX Coach helps you assess whether your challenge needs creative invention or better search, routing your effort to the highest-leverage activity first.
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