S.C.A.M.P.E.R.
What is it..?SCAMPER is an acronym for seven thinking techniques that help those who use them come up untypical solutions to problems. The thinking techniques are so common to human creative behavior that it might be more accurate to call SCAMPER a mnemonic for the collection of techniques rather than a technique of its own.
The invention of SCAMPER is attributed to Bob Eberle, author of books about creativity for children aimed at teachers. |
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How to use S.C.A.M.P.E.R.
At any point in a creative-thinking situation, alone or in a group, novel solutions emerge when those involved force themselves to think in an arbitrarily different way. For that reason, using any or all of the seven thinking approaches listed below will help those who use them produce surprising and sometimes very useful results.
Keep in mind the principal of force fitting. If you can't think of anything in response to the SCAMPER prompt you're using, then force a response, no matter how ridiculous it seems, and think of ways to make the non-logical response work.
Keep in mind the principal of force fitting. If you can't think of anything in response to the SCAMPER prompt you're using, then force a response, no matter how ridiculous it seems, and think of ways to make the non-logical response work.
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. (There are some example questions provided) 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. |
SubstitudeRemove some part of the accepted situation, thing, or concept and replace it with something else.
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Sample Questions:
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CombineJoin, affiliate, or force together two or more elements of your subject matter and consider ways that such a combination might move you toward a solution.
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AdaptChange some part of your problem so that it works where it did not before.
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ModifyConsider many of the attribute of the thing you're working on and change them, arbitrarily, if necessary. Attributes include: size, shape, other dimensions, texture, color, attitude, position, history, and so on.
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Put (to another use)Modify the intention of the subject. Think about why it exists, what it is used for, what it's supposed to do. Challenge all of these assumptions and suggest new and unusual purposes.
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EliminateArbitrarily remove any or all elements of your subject, simplify, reduce to core functionality.
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ReverseChange the direction or orientation. Turn it upside-down, inside-out, or make it go backwards, against the direction it was intended to go or be used.
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