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Innovation Tool: SCAMPER
Jonathan Weaver
UDM ME Department
Development support by James Hadley
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References
• The Innovator’s Toolkit, Silverstein, Samuel, & DeCarlo,
John Wiley & Sons, 2009, ISBN 978-0470-34535-1
• Thinkertoys, 2nd Edition, Michael Michalko, Ten Speed
Press, 2006, ISBN 1-58008-773-6
• For more common questions to use in SCAMPER go to:
http://litemind.com/scamper/
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Introduction
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SCAMPER is a design idea generation process
Uses structured questions as a guide
Good for solving new problems
Or to create incremental change to existing products
Ideas generated in each area don’t have to answer specific
questions
• The following slides define and illustrate the three step
process
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Step 1: Examine the Problem
• Clearly define the problem
– Main issues
– Functional requirements
– Resources available
• Define the current solutions to the problem
– Present products
– Present processes
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Step 2: SCAMPER Question Areas
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S - Substitute
C - Combine
A - Adapt
M – Modify / Magnify / Minify
P - Put to another use
E - Eliminate
R – Reverse / Rearrange
Let’s take a closer look at each of these…
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Substitute
• What part of the product/process can be substituted?
• Alternatives can spark ideas
• Common Questions:
– What can be substituted to make an improvement?
– What happens if this is swapped for that?
– Is it possible to substitute the place, time, materials or
people?
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Substitute Example
• Rod Sprules created a new fireplace log that substitutes
treated wood, with used coffee grounds and compressed
candle wax, for a clean burning and high energy fire fuel
http://www.java-log.com/pdf/Hearth_Home_September_04.pdf
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Combine
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What parts of the problem can be combined?
Combination of areas can form new products
Synergistic solutions can allow compact design
Common Questions:
– What materials, features, processes, people, products or
components can be combined?
– Where can synergies be obtained?
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Combine Example
• Aron Losonczi, a Hungarian architect, combines cement
and fiber optics to create a cement that appears transparent
because of how the fiber optics filter light through the
cement
http://www.fansofrealitytv.com/forums/general-discussion/38724-inventions-year-2.html
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Adapt
• What parts can be adapted to remove the problem?
• Often the nature of the problem can be changed by
redesign of the parts
• Common Questions:
– What part of the product can be changed?
– In exchange for what?
– What if the key characteristics of a component are
altered?
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Adapt Example
• After watching Spiderman, researchers at the University of
Manchester decided they would like to make an adhesive
to allow people to climb walls
• They found that they could imitate how geckos use hairs
on their paws to climb, by creating gloves with
polypropylene fibers
www.cegep-lanaudiere.qc.ca/lass/anglais/step/Spiderman%20gloves.doc
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Modify
• Look at distorting part or all of the solution in an
uncommon way
• This forces formation of new ways to approach present
solutions
• Common Questions:
– Can a feature or component be warped or exaggerated?
– Can the current process be modified?
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Modify Example
• Cirque du Soleil modified the essence of what a circus is
by modernizing it and changing focus to the performance
side
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/lanouba/en/about/acts.asp
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Magnify / Minify
• Look at enlarging or shrinking a part or the full product
• This causes you to view if changing component sizes could
add to the solution
• Common Questions:
– Can a feature or component be expanded or shrunk?
– Can the process be shortened or lengthened in some
way?
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Magnify Example
• A & B Hydroponics was the first
company to have vertically rotating
hydroponic systems, allow for more
plants in the same amount of floor
space
http://www.abhydroponics.com.au/7.html
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Put To Other Purposes
• How can present solutions be used for other problems?
• Can lateral benchmarking be used to enable another
solution to solve your problem?
• Common Questions:
– What other market could this product compete in?
– Who or what else might be able to use it?
– What are similar problems that have already been
solved?
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Put To Other Use Example
• Personal message boards and LED signs are commonly
used for people to communicate across noisy rooms, so
they were put to use by adding an LED programmable
screen on a t-shirt
http://www.himfr.com/d-p114510137193575025-Led_Scrolling_Message_T-Shirt/
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Eliminate
• What would happen if a part of the product or process was
eliminated?
• This shows how removing parts can affect the solution and
helps to show importance of components.
• Common Questions:
– What would happen if a component or part were
removed?
– Is there another way of achieving the desired effect?
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Eliminate Example
• The Solo personal water ski machine - a small jet ski-like
vehicle that has driving controls in the tow handle eliminates the need for a full boat and driver in order to
water ski
http://www.gizmag.com/go/1736/gallery/
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Reverse / Rearrange
• How would reversing part of the problem or process affect
the solution?
• Maybe you are approaching things from the wrong
direction
• Common Questions:
– Can it be done the other way round?
– How would the opposite effect be achieved?
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Reverse Example
• Studies at the University of Bonn in Germany, show that if
farmers plough their fields during the night, instead of the
day, weed seeds can’t get the sunlight that they need to
begin germination
• Weeds are reduced such that herbicides are no longer
needed
http://www.pegtopfarm.co.uk/page8.htm
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Step 3: Review Ideas
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Review ideas generated
Combine ideas
Look for recurring ideas
Looking for pattern in solutions
Use other innovation techniques/concept selection tools to
decide between best ideas