FLL Journey Blog

Getting started with your Innovation project

Date: Thursday, 19th October 2023

Author: Hayden Kong

Hello World!

What is an innovation project?
Innovation Project is a major component in First Lego League where teams are tasked with identifying a real-world problem and coming up with innovative solutions to solve it. Each year, a new season of FLL is published with a different topic, for example, last years was energy and this years is music/art. Innovation Project is a huge part of FLL which judges will mark you on.

Identifying your innovation project

1. Understand the theme – It is an important part to understand the theme of the season as it is important later on when you find the problems.
2. Conduct research – research about the topic and gain deep understanding and potential problems. You can do this by watching documentaries, reading books, browsing online etc. You can also take this a further step by seeking experts.
3. Brainstorm – Now you have done your research and have a deep understanding, it is time to brainstorm ideas within the theme with your team. You can consider the challenges you have identified during research, as well as problems you might have encountered in real life.
4. Narrowing down – After you brainstormed ideas, narrow down your list of potential problems. You could also briefly research each topic to identify any creative or innovative solutions. Once you have narrowed down the list, rank the remaining problems based on criteria like their relevance to the theme and impact.
5. Researching & in-depth knowledge – Once you have chosen your problem, it is a key to research and gather huge amounts of information and make sure your team understand key aspects of the problem. You can also seek experts relating to your problem and ask them questions or interview them.
6. Developing your solution – After you have done research, it is time to find and brainstorm your solution to your problem. This part is one of the most crucial parts of the innovation project that judges will mark you on. Be creative and discuss with your team!
7. Improving your solution – Once you have chosen a solution, it is important to research more about it, for example, the costs, how to turn it into a real-life solution, similar projects and more. You can also make models of your solution. It is important to note that each innovation project idea is different, and you should seek ideas and feedback to improve your solution!
8. Gathering all your information & data – Lastly, it is time to put all your data and research you have collected into a slideshow to present to the judges. You could also put all your findings into a folder and hand it to the judges. When you present to the judges, you can also bring your prototype/3d models of your solution to present to the judges.