Scamper

By
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
  • An existing product
  • Knowledge about an existing product
  • Knowledge about the challenge
  • Scamper Template
  • Discussion Channel
TYPE OF THE ACTIVITY:
  • Group
SUGGESTED TIME FOR ACTIVITY:
  • Min. 1 Hour
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY:
  • Low

 

SCAMPER is a great method to improve an already existing solution to your challenge and it helps to easily and quickly broaden your perspective and look on the possible improvements of an existing solution from various different angles.

What can you do?

Have in mind the existing product/service and its relevant aspects (values, benefits, touch points, attributes, pricing, markets…). Individually or collectively consider 7 following perspectives in any order. Not necessarily all the questions need to be answered. Do not worry if questions seem overlapping. All answers should be welcomed – generate as many ideas as possible.

  • SUBSTITUTING – What part of the product/service can we substitute, replace, or use instead to make an improvement? Is it components, ingredients, procedures, materials, people, name, time, location, policy…?
  • COMBINING – What can we combine, mix, merge, blend, or integrate to make an improvement? Is it resources, units, components, technologies, steps of the process, purposes, objectives, activities…?
  • ADAPTING – What can we adapt, change, copy, borrow, adopt, alter, adjust, tweak to make an improvement?
  • MODIFYING – What can we modify, magnify, minify, exaggerate, multiply, duplicate, emphasize to make an improvement? Is it smell, form, motion, meaning, size, time, duration, frequency…?
  • PUTTING TO OTHER USES – What can we repurpose or use in new ways (e.g. in other places, people…) to make an improvement?
  • ELIMINATING – What can we eliminate, remove, eradicate, simplify, narrow down to make an improvement?
  • REARRANGING – What can we rearrange, turn the other way around, reverse, interchange to make an improvement? Is it the process, components, roles…?

Gather or present all the answers and think: Do any of the answers stand out as viable solutions? Could we use any of them to create a new product/service or develop an existing one? Take the good ideas and explore them further.

For an example of this method, see this.

If you don’t have/don’t want to work on an already existing solution, you can use activities for producing brand new solutions.

Example Template