Reshape your product using SCAMPER

Stuck on ideas for your product? Discover how to use the SCAMPER method, and as a bonus, find some useful questions to kickstart your creativity today.

SCAMPER is a brainstorming method that can be applied when you want to improve an existing product or conceive a new one based on existing items.

SCAMPER stands for:

S — Substitute

What can be swapped in the process/product to enhance it.

Suggested Questions:

• What can I exchange to make the product more appealing?
• Is there a cheaper or more efficient material or resource?
• Could any technology or tool replace the ones we use?
• Can we switch any features or functions to make the product more innovative or better?

C — Combine

Think about merging things from this product or another to create value.

Suggested Questions:

• How can I combine this product with another to create something new?
• Are there ideas or features from other products that I could use?
• Could I merge processes or methods to make the product more effective or efficient?
• Can I merge design elements to make the product more appealing?

A — Adapt

Explore function/process from another context can be adapted for this product.

Suggested Questions:

• What’s working in another process/product that we could adapt?
• Can I adjust elements to apply the product in other contexts (niches/audiences and markets)?
• Can I customize certain aspects to meet individual or specific demands?
• Is there any detail in competing products that we can tweak and implement?

M — Modify

How the product can be adjusted, made smaller or larger to transform the experience.

Suggested Questions:

• How can I modify the usability or design to enhance usability?
• Can we reduce the size or increase the speed?
• How can we modify the process to make it smoother or cheaper?
• What can we improve about the product?

P — Put to other uses

How the product can be repurposed for new uses, purposes, and contexts.

Suggested Questions:

• What new uses could this product have to meet different contexts?
• Is there a new market we could explore?
• Can the product solve unforeseen problems?
• Can we recycle this product to serve another market/niche/audience?

E — Eliminate

Clearing the product can provide clarity. Think about items that can be entirely removed without compromising the value chain, thus reducing waste and improving efficiency.

Suggested Questions:

• What can we eliminate without compromising functionality?
• Which steps in the production or delivery process can we do without?
• Is there a seldom-used feature that we can remove?
• What happens if we remove a certain feature?

R — Rearrange or Reverse

Reorder processes or functions to explore new possibilities.

Suggested Questions:

• What happens if we reverse the steps of the process?
• Are there products with a different order than ours?
• Can we change layout elements to enhance functionality or aesthetics?

Ready to Innovate?

Unleash your product’s potential with SCAMPER today! Whether you’re looking to refine an existing product or invent something completely new, this method provides the framework for breakthrough creativity and innovation. Don’t wait to transform your ideas into reality.

Hit me up here or at Linkedin with questions, suggestions or for a call.