SCAMPER Thinking Creatively SCAMPER was created by Robert

SCAMPER

Thinking Creatively • SCAMPER was created by Robert F. Eberle in the early 1970 s (based upon Alex Osborn’s 83 brainstorming questions). • SCAMPER is based on the idea that everything new is a modification of something that already exists. • Each letter in the an initialism (or acronym) represents a different way you can play with the characteristics of the existing idea or design.

Thinking Creatively • SCAMPER – S: Substitute – C: Combine – A: Adapt – M: Modify – P: Put to Other Uses – E: Eliminate – R: Rearrange

Thinking Creatively • S: Substitute – What else can be used instead of what you’ve got? – Are there newer materials or alternative materials that could be used in this design? – Is there a different way of using the design than originally intended? – Is there a different approach or process that can be used? – Can I change the people who are making this or using it? – Can I change the name or description of the design?

Thinking Creatively • C: Combine – How can you bring together what you’ve got? – Is it possible to combine different materials (e. g. In the form of an alloy)? – Is it possible to combine this design with an existing design to form something new? – Is it possible to merge this approach or process with another one? – How can I combine the skills of the people who are making this or using this design? – Can I alter the design so that it combines several different functions in the same design?

Thinking Creatively • A: Adapt – What else is like what you’ve got? – Is it possible to find something that is similar but is used in a different context? – What other fields should I look at for inspiration? – How can I adapt the existing approach or process to make it a better design? – How are the people who are using this design adapting it for their circumstances? – Is there anything in my past experience that can be used in this case?

Thinking Creatively • M: Modify – What can be bigger or smaller in what you’ve got? – Can you magnify or minimise the whole design or some parts of the design? – What can I modify to make the design better? – How can I modify the approach or process that can be used to realise this design? – Would the design be improved by making any part of the design weaker or stronger? – Who else should be involved in making this or using the design? – Would multiple instances of the design be better?

Thinking Creatively • P: Put to Other Uses – How can use in different ways what you’ve got? – What else can this design be used for? – Can the design be changed so that it is used for things other than originally intended? – Can the approach or process used in this design be used for other processes? – How would different kinds of people (including different ages, sizes and disabilities) use it? – Are there times, other than the time this design is intended to be used at, at which the design can be used?

Thinking Creatively • E: Eliminate – How much can you remove or reduce what you’ve got? – What parts of the design can be eliminated to simplify it? – Can the design be split into different parts that are simpler to deal with and substitute? – Are there steps in the approach or process that can be eliminated? – Are there people who are making this that can be eliminated from the process? – Is there a temporal element to the design that can be eliminated?

Thinking Creatively • R: Rearrange – How can you change the order of what you’ve got? – Is there a way that cause-and-effect can be swapped around in this design? – Can the design be turned upside down or sideways in development or usage ? – Can I rearrange steps in the approach or process in some way? – Can I change the order in which people contribute who are making this or using the design? – Can I change the schedule of development for this design?