SCAMPER

SCAMPER is an acronym for a set of operations that you can use to generate new ideas from old ones.

How to use

Basically this is a checklist of idea generating questions to ask against an existing idea.

  • Substitute - What could I swap out?
  • Combine - What could I add?
  • Adapt - What could I adapt from elsewhere and use on this?
  • Modify / Magnify - How can I modify/magnify the idea?
  • Put to another use - Are there other uses for this idea I haven't though of?
  • Eliminate- What could I remove?
  • Reverse / Rearrange - What happens if I change the order?

References

Thinkertoys by Michael Michalko

Mind Performance Hacks by Ron Hale-Evans

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