SCAMPER

Michael Michalko, author, Thinkertoys: A Handbook for Business Creativity, recommends a technique invented by Alex Osborn, a pioneer in understanding creativity, in which you accept that there really are no new ideas, only updates of existing ones. With that in mind, take the subject you want to think about and ask the questions below to generate ideas. SCAMPER is a mnemonic to remind you of what to ask.

• S =Substitute? Who else? What else?
• C =Combine? Can you merge an idea with another one?
• A =Adapt? What else is like this? What could you copy or emulate?
• M =Magnify and modify? What can be added? Time? Power? Features? What can be altered? Can we change the color, shape, sound, or smell?
• P =Put to other uses? Can we use this dessert topping as a floor wax? Can we extend it? Can we do spin-offs? Can we enter other markets?
• E =Eliminate? What can be subtracted? Can we make this smaller? Lighter? More streamlined?
• R =Rearrange and reverse? Can we interchange components? Can we change the pace, the schedule? Can we turn this upside down? Can we reverse roles?

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