SCAMPER
SCAMPER is an acronym and each letter stands for a creative thinking and
problem-solving technique. The main aspects were originally proposed in 1953 by
Alex Osborn, who is thought to be inventor of brainstorming.
It works great for improving an existing service, product or process and can be great
starting point for future development or fixing issues with existing items as you
employ scamper along with brainstorming to generate creative possibilities.
The letters that make up SCAMPER stand for:
S= Substitute
C= Combine
A= Adapt or Adjust
M= Modify, Magnify or Minify
P= Put to another use
E= Eliminate
R= Reverse or Rearrange
S= Substitute
Replace a topic, part, component, or people related to the situation or thing with another topic or concept.
Questions may include:
1. Is there another product, procedure, or process we could use?
2. Are there any rules involved that could be substituted?
3. What if we substituted attitudes, feelings or approaches towards this item?
4. What part can we substituted without affecting the integrity of the whole?
5. What better alternatives could be there be by replacing parts of the process?
6. Can the project time or location be replaced?
7. What would it be like if we replaced part of the project with another?
8. Are there other ways or locations we could sell the product?
9. What if we substitute Y for X?
10. Is there any different device we could substitute for this one?
11. Is there any simpler process we could replace with this one?
12. Are there aspects we could substitute or swap in order to bring about improvements?
13. Are there rules, processes, procedures that could be substituted?
14. Can you use this item somewhere else or as a substation for something else?
15. What ingredients, resources, or materials could be swap in order to improve this item?
C= Combine
By adding information to the original concept. Joining, merging, bundling or forcing together 2 or more elements, functions or aggregates
in order to try and move towards a new solution by overlapping or integrating functionality.
Question may include:
1. Could we combine resources or talent or create a new offering?
2. What if we combined this product with another product in order to create a new product?
3. Could we combine objectives or purposes?
4. What if we merged two steps of the process?
5. Can we apply two aspects or processes at the same time?
6. Could we combine resources with another group as a joint venture?
7. What if we mixed two or more aspects together?
8. Can we combine a component with B component?
9. What services or product could we combine with this to create something new?
A= Adapt or Adjust?
Change an aspect of the problem, function or use another element or assembly so it works where it previously did not such as adapting
something from a different industry or identify ways to adapt or adjust the topic in a more flexible manner.
Question may include:
1. Are there any small adjustments that could be made?
2. Are there any large adjustments that could be made?
3. In what Ways could this product be like something else?
4. What needs to be change in order to get better results?
5. Is there something else we could do for this particular task?
6. What could be done to improve this current process?
7. In what ways can we adjust the current product?
8. Are there ways we can make the process more adaptable?
9. In what ways we can adapt this product to serve a different purpose?
10. Are there any new trends or ideas we could adapt to this?
11. In what ways could we adapt this in order to be like something else?
M= Modify, Magnify or minify
Creatively change the idea or topic under consideration by modifying dimensions or attributes such as size, shape, color, fuel, position,
acoustic, texture etc. or making it smaller, faster or stronger.
Question may include:
1. What could be magnify or minimize about this product to improve the value proposition?
2. Are there any aspects we could strengthen or magnify that could lead to something new?
3. If we modify the process what results improve?
4. Could we modify the process in some manner to work more efficiently?
5. What would happen if the product was twice as large or twice as small?
6. What could we add in order to modify this item?
7. Could we modify the production or marketing of this item?
8. Are there aspect of the product that could be modified to affect the pricing?
9. How could we modify the size shape, color, look or feel of the item?
P= Put to another use
Looking at other areas this product or topic could be used and rethinking why the product exists, it use, the scope of the
application, contexts for use and other assumptions that may be taken for granted.
Question may include:
1. Are there any novel ways this item could be used that we have not considered?
2. Are there any by products or waste from this product that could use elsewhere?
3. What else could we do with this item?
4. Are there other parts of the company or organization that could use this product?
5. Would there be any benefits of using this product somewhere else?
6. Is there a different potential target market for this product?
7. Are there other ways in which we could make use of this item?
8. Are there different fields or industries that could use this item in any way?
9. What if there was a different target market or potential users?
10. What other people or groups could potentially make use of this item?
E- Eliminate
Removing aspects or elements of the topic that are of low value by simplifying or reducing core functionality.
Question may include:
1. If we eliminate certain parts, what would we have left?
2. How much could we take away and still have a functioning product?
3. What would it be like if we removed this part?
4. Can we achieve the same functionality if we remove a specific part?
5. Is this particular aspect really necessary?
6. What could we do if we had to do without certain aspects or resources?
7. Are there any parts, features, or rules that we could eliminate?
8. What could we eliminate to streamline the product or process?
9. In what ways could we make it smaller, lighter or less of something?
R= Reverse or Rearrange
Mixing things up by changing the orientation or direction such as inside-out, upside-down, backwards, or an opposite
use in order to rearrange the structure in some manner to improve the process or product.
Question may include:
1. Are there any roles involved that we could reverse or swap?
2. If we mix everything about this item what else could we make from the parts?
3. What would it be like if we reversed the process?
4. Are there ways we could rearrange the current structure for better results?
5. What would it be like if we looked at it backwards? Upside-down? Inside-out?
6. Are there elements that we could rearrange?
7. What is the opposite of what we have now?
8. What if we change the order of the components?
9. Are there related elements that we could rearrange such as documentation, marketing, sales etc.?
10. What would the exact opposite be and does that yield any good results?