This post is part of the Inspiration series, made possible by Veer.com.

In our first post in the Veer series, we observed that inventions flow as iterative progressions built upon previous work more often than they appear as sudden bolts of insight. Even for those fortunate enough to be roused from a pleasant nap or a frolic through wildflowers with a sudden revelation, that singular moment is built upon days or weeks of tedious research. We spoke a bit about Newton in the context of calculus but didn't leave readers with much insight into what to do when they seek inspiration. Fortunately, Newton knew something about this, observing that if he had "seen a little further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants." A major backdrop of our articles in the Veer series has been the availability of information in the digital age. When we have the sum of human knowledge at our fingertips and monitors, it seems appropriate for thinkers seeking inspiration to ask, "Well, whose shoulders should we stand upon?"Of course, you need to be familiar with your field, but chances are strong that all of your competitors have the same background. Everyone is seeking inspiration and a synthesis of disciplinary knowledge, but as designers stray further afield, it becomes more likely that they will discover something that others have not yet seen. Those of us designing products are somewhat lucky in this regard because the barriers to entry in manufacturing are rather large. Because the costs of retooling are high, manufacturers often use technology that's decades, occasionally centuries, old because it works. Finding ways to use old methods to solve new problems is one of many conditions that fuel invention.

Observing the direction of technological progress is as important as being aware of the past. Although it's always useful to read cutting edge journals like Science or Nature, locatinganalogous products in higher margin fields may be more revealing. Want to figure out new technologies for milling flour (at $1/lb)? Examine how cosmetics powders are ground (at $20/oz.). Want to determine how to better maintain a break fluid line (particulates might cause a crash eventually)? Examine how blood dialysis machines work (where contaminants might cause a death instantly). The further afield designers go to find inspiration, the less likely it is that they will find something useful, but when they do, they can be fairly confident that no one else wandered there before.

Finally, because it's tiresome to read the umpteenth article in one's chosen field, taking a turn into another avenue of human knowledge can be a welcome diversion and an easy way to get outside of what you may already know. So while we can't necessarily condone that designers spend their work hours slacking on HuffPo, exploratory research may be the key to standing on the shoulders of giants you least expect.