Inventing | Documenting | Things to Collect | Resources

Artifacts

Many inventors create prototypes, test materials, and use tools during the inventive process. Incorporating such artifacts into an interview, as well as collecting these materials, enhances understanding of the technical features of an invention and the inventor's skills and methods. Artifacts can also act as a trigger for memories of the time when the inventor was creating the invention and generate details of the invention process that narrative questioning may not elicit.