SCAMPER
Creativity technique for evolving existing ideas.
PURPOSE
Teams often hit creative limits when evolving existing products or processes. SCAMPER breaks through these blocks by providing systematic prompts for modifying existing ideas. It is especially useful when incremental innovation is needed and not everything has to be reinvented from scratch.
HOW TO USE
The team takes an existing product, process, or service and systematically applies the seven SCAMPER operations. Ideas are collected and documented for each letter. The most promising ideas are then evaluated and further developed.
WHAT IT IS
SCAMPER is a creativity technique summarizing seven transformation operations as an acronym: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other use, Eliminate, and Reverse. Each operation provides targeted questions that open new perspectives on existing solutions. The method was developed by Bob Eberle and builds on Alex Osborn's checklist for creative thinking.
EXAMPLE
Example: Your product team has a successful office chair but doesn't know how to evolve the product without starting from scratch. With SCAMPER, you systematically go through: Substitute (different material?), Combine (with standing desk?), Adapt (for gaming?), Modify (more ergonomic?). In one hour, you generate twelve concrete evolution ideas.