SCAMPER

Improving Products and Services

Alex Osborn was a master at using perspective changes to suggest new ideas. He developed a comprehensive list of simple questions, which can be used either individually or in groups, designed to support creative and divergent thinking.
 
This list is also sometimes referred to as SCAMPER - Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify/Magnify/Minify, Put to other uses, Eliminate, Reverse/Rearrange. This is a general-purpose checklist that helps you to think of changes you can make to an existing product or to create a new one.
 




Developed by Bob Eberle, the changes SCAMPER stands for are:


• S – Substitute – components, materials, people.
• C – Combine – mix, combine with other assemblies or services, integrate.
• A – Adapt – alter, change function, use part of another element.
• M – Modify – increase or reduce in scale, change shape, modify attributes (e.g. colour).
• P – Put to another use.
• E – Eliminate – remove elements, simplify, reduce to core functionality.
• R – Reverse – turn inside out or upside down, or use Reversal.

How to use it

SCAMPER works by providing a list of questions that you associate with your problem and hence create ideas.

Other uses?

New ways to use as is? Other uses if modified?

Adapt?

What else is like this? What other idea does this suggest? Does past offer parallel? What could I copy? Whom could I emulate?

Modify?

New twist? Change meaning, colour, motion, odour, taste, form, shape? Other changes?

Magnify?

What to add? More time? Greater frequency? Stronger? Higher? Larger? Longer? Thicker? Heavier? Extra value? Plus ingredient? Duplicate? Multiply? Exaggerate?

Minify?

What to subtract? Smaller? Condensed? Miniature? Lower? Shorter? Narrower? Lighter? Omit? Streamline? Split up? Understate? Less frequent?

Substitute?

Who else instead? What else instead? Other ingredient? Other material? Other process? Other power? Other place? Other approach? Other tone of voice? Other time?

Rearrange?

Interchange components? Other pattern? Other layout? Other sequence? Transpose cause and effect? Change place? Change schedule? Earlier? Later?

Reverse?

Transpose positive and negative? How about opposites? Turn it backward, upside down, inside out? Reverse roles? Change shoes? Turn tables? Turn other cheek?

Combine?

How about a blend, an alloy, an assortment, an ensemble? Combine units?

The key characteristics of this technique are the following:

Quick

  X        Long

 

Logical

  X        Psychological

 

Individual

    X      Group

 

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