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S.C.A.M.P.E.R A Tool for Innovation!

Look at the diagram above. What do you see? Do you see blocks of irregular shapes? Or do you see regular
blocks of shapes resembling alphabets, even a word? Well, what we see will depend on which part of the
diagram we look at, literally.
If we interface this with real life issues, we can also say that the way which we look at an issue depends on the
perspective which we take at the point in time. In addition, the position which we take also depends very much
on our personal inclination, personality type, upbringing, interest(s) and a host of other personal and
sometimes very subjective factors. In short, we have a tendency to look at an issue in a certain way most of the
time.
At the organizational level, organizations which remain on the cutting edge of technology, operations and
processes respond to challenges swiftly because they take a multi-dimensional perspective of the issues facing
them. Sure, a company can outsource to increase price and quality competitiveness but the competitive curve
will plateau in time.
Increasingly the new core competence is creativity and innovation. In fact, many people are now calling it the
Creativity Economy. Think-out-of-the Box the catchphrase of many corporations during the Star Wars era, is
enjoying another round of limelight and the innovation saga will continue, now for a longer period of time.
So, how do we, based on our inclinations and the tendency to look at things the way we are wired to see
things from a FRESH perspective?
An excellent tool is SCAMPER.

SCAMPER is easy to remember because it is a mnemonic and helps us think of changes we can make to an
existing product or to create a new one. Companies or individuals can use these changes either as direct
suggestions or as starting points for lateral thinking.
Developed by Bob Eberle in 1991, SCAMPER stands for:

Think about substituting part of your product/process for something else. By

looking for something to substitute you can often come up with new ideas.
Typical questions:
SUBSTITUTE

What can I substitute to make an improvement?

What if I swap this for that and see what happens?

How can I substitute the place, time, materials or people?

Think about combining two or more parts to achieve a different product/process

or to enhance synergy. Typical questions:

What materials, features, processes, people, products or components

COMBINE

can I combine?

ADAPT

Where can I build synergy?

Think about which parts of the product/process could be adapted or think how
you could change the nature of the product/process. Typical questions:

What part of the product could I change?

And in exchange for what?

What if I were to change the characteristics of a component?

Think about changing part or all of the current situation, or to distort it in an

unusual way. By forcing yourself to come up with new ways of working, you are
often prompted into an alternative product/process. Typical questions:

What happens if I warp or exaggerate a feature or component?

MODIFY

What will happen if I modify the process in some way?

Think of how you might be able to put your current solution/ product/process to
other purposes, or think of what you could reuse from somewhere else. You
might think of another way of solving a problem or finding another market for your
PUT TO ANOTHER USE product. Typical questions:

What other market could I use this product in?

Who or what else might be able to use it?

Think of what might happen if you eliminated various parts of the

product/process consider what you might do in that situation. This often leads
you to consider different ways of tackling any issue. Typical questions:

What would happen if I removed a component or part of it?

ELIMINATE

How else would I achieve the solution without the normal way of doing

it?

Think of what you would do if part of your product/process worked in reverse or

done in a different order. What would you do if you had to do it in reverse? You
can also use this to see your issue from different angles and come up with new
ideas. Typical questions:

What if I did it the other way round?

REVERSE

What if I reverse the order it is done or the way it is used?

How would I achieve the opposite effect?

Below are three examples which illustrate the SCAMPER tool.

Example 1:
Objective: I want to invent a new type of pen.

SUBSTITUTE

ink with dye, nib with knife

COMBINE

writing with cutting, holding with opening

ADAPT

pen top as container

MODIFY

body to be flexible

PUT TO OTHER
USES

use to write on wood

ELIMINATE

clip by using velcro

REARRANGE

nib to fold outwards

Example 2:
Imagine that you are a producer of computers and printers, and you use SCAMPER to aid you in the process of
looking for new products.

SUBSTITUTE

use of virtual resources hosted on the internet?

COMBINE

integrate computer and printer, printer and scanner

ADAPT

put high quality ink in printer, use high quality paper

MODIFY

produce different shape, size and design of printer and computer

PUT TO OTHER
USES

printers as photocopies or fax machines

ELIMINATE

eliminate hard disks, colour ink etc

REARRANGE

make computer desks as well as computers and printers, or computer chairs etc

NB. Many of the ideas may be unfeasible or may not suit the equipment used by the manufacturer, but some
ideas could be good starting points for discussion of new products.
Example 3:
You are a manufacturer of nuts and bolts, and you are looking for new products. SCAMPER would give you:

SUBSTITUTE

use of high tech materials for niche markets, such as high speed steel? Carbon fiber?
Plastics? Glass? Non-reactive material?

COMBINE

integrate nut and bolt? Bolt and washer? Bolt and spanner?

ADAPT

put Allen key or Star head on bolt? Countersink head?

MODIFY

produce bolts for watches or bridges? Produce different shaped bolts (e.g. screw in
plugs)? Pre-painted green bolts?

PUT TO OTHER
USES

bolts as hinge pins? As axles?

ELIMINATE

Eliminate nuts, washers, heads, thread, etc.

REARRANGE

make dies as well as bolts, make bolts that cut threads for themselves in material, etc.

In Conclusion:
Human resource remains and will remain as the mainstay of the Creativity Economy.
Is your company ready for the innovation challenge? More specifically, how can you use SCAMPER to relook at
the problems you are facing in your business?
Article contributed by Leonard Kok, FOCUS Adventure

SCAMPER
Improving Products and Services

This tool can help you develop new products and services.
iStockphoto/aladin66

It can often be difficult to come up with new ideas when you're trying to develop or improve a product or
service.
This is where creative brainstorming techniques like SCAMPER can help. This tool helps you generate ideas
for new products and services by encouraging you to think about how you could improve existing ones.
We'll look at SCAMPER in this article.

About the Tool

SCAMPER is a mnemonic that stands for:

Substitute.

Combine.

Adapt.

Modify.

Put to another use.

Eliminate.

Reverse.

You use the tool by asking questions about existing products, using each of the seven prompts above. These
questions help you come up with creative ideas for developing new products, and for improving current ones.
Alex Osborn, credited by many as the originator of brainstorming, originally came up with many of the
questions used in the SCAMPER technique. However, it was Bob Eberle, an education administrator and
author, who organized these questions into the SCAMPER mnemonic.

Note:
Remember that the word "products" doesn't only refer to physical goods. Products can also include processes,
services, and even people. You can therefore adapt this technique to a wide range of situations.

How to Use the Tool

SCAMPER is really easy to use.
First, take an existing product or service. This could be one that you want to improve, one that you're currently
having problems with, or one that you think could be a good starting point for future development.
Then, ask questions about the product you identified, using the SCAMPER mnemonic to guide you.
Brainstorm as many questions and answers as you can. (We've included some example questions, below.)
Finally, look at the answers that you came up with. Do any stand out as viable solutions? Could you use any of
them to create a new product, or develop an existing one? If any of your ideas seem viable, then you can
explore them further.

Example Questions
Let's look at some of the questions you could ask for each letter of the SCAMPER mnemonic:

Substitute

What materials or resources can you substitute or swap to improve the product?

What other product or process could you use?

What rules could you substitute?

Can you use this product somewhere else, or as a substitute for something else?

What will happen if you change your feelings or attitude toward this product?

Combine

What would happen if you combined this product with another, to create something new?

What if you combined purposes or objectives?

What could you combine to maximize the uses of this product?

How could you combine talent and resources to create a new approach to this product?

Adapt

How could you adapt or readjust this product to serve another purpose or use?

What else is the product like?

Who or what could you emulate to adapt this product?

What else is like your product?

What other context could you put your product into?

What other products or ideas could you use for inspiration?

Modify

How could you change the shape, look, or feel of your product?

What could you add to modify this product?

What could you emphasize or highlight to create more value?

What element of this product could you strengthen to create something new?

Put to Another Use

Can you use this product somewhere else, perhaps in another industry?

Who else could use this product?

How would this product behave differently in another setting?

Could you recycle the waste from this product to make something new?

Eliminate

How could you streamline or simplify this product?

What features, parts, or rules could you eliminate?

What could you understate or tone down?

How could you make it smaller, faster, lighter, or more fun?

What would happen if you took away part of this product? What would you have in its place?

Reverse

What would happen if you reversed this process or sequenced things differently?

What if you try to do the exact opposite of what you're trying to do now?

What components could you substitute to change the order of this product?

What roles could you reverse or swap?

How could you reorganize this product?

Tip 1:
Some ideas that you generate using the tool may be impractical or may not suit your circumstances. Don't
worry about this the aim is to generate as many ideas as you can.
Tip 2:
To get the greatest benefit, use SCAMPER alongside other creative brainstorming and lateral thinking
techniques such as Random Input, Provocation, Reversal, and Metaphorical Thinking.

Key Points
SCAMPER helps you develop new products and services. Many of the questions used in SCAMPER were
created by Alec Osborn, but Bob Eberle developed the mnemonic.
SCAMPER stands for:

Substitute.

Combine.

Adapt.

Modify.

Put to another use.

Eliminate.

Reverse.

To use SCAMPER, you simply go down the list and ask questions regarding each element. Remember, not
every idea you generate using SCAMPER will be viable; however, you can take good ideas and explore them
further.