I' SCAMPER

1

• I. SCAMPER
• Checklist of idea generating questions
• Created by Alex Osborn and Bob Eberle
• Isolate the problem you want to solve
• Ask questions from each step of SCAMPER
• S substitute?
• C combine?
• A adapt?
• M modify? or magnify?
• P put to other uses?
• E eliminate? or minify?
• R reverse? or rearrange?

2

• II. SCAMPERING BURGERS
• RAY KROC SELLING MULTIMIXERS
• Sold 6 machines to Dick and Maurice McDonald
• Kroc became billionaire by changing existing info
  into new ideas
• S SUBSTITUTE?
• Lethargic business partners Krocwanted to buy
  them out
• Kroc had no money
• He found venture capitalist to provide money
• C COMBINE?
• Kroc needed financing for first hamburger stand
  in Des Plaines
• Sold construction company half ownership for
  building

3

• A ADAPT?
• Wanted new twist in food, lacked new ideas
• Adapted the McDonald brothers ideas of hamburger
  in a bag and handful of fries into fast food
• M MODIFY?
• Krocs french fries were mushy, not like McDonald
  brothers
• They kept their potato supply outside in the
  desert wind
• Kroc kept his at the store in the basement too
  damp
• The desert wind cured the potatoes made better
  french fries
• Kroc put big fans in the basement
• M MAGNIFY?
• Franchise owners wanted to expand menu
• Exaggerate the burger and add new items

4

• P PUT TO OTHER USES?
• Kroc needed other sources of income
• Entered real estate business
• Lease and develop a site, then re-lease it to
  franchisee
• Today, 10 of company revenues come from rentals
• E ELIMINATE OR MINIFY?
• Hamburger patty distributors packed patties
  efficient for them
• McDonalds employees had to repack because bottom
  patties getting crushed
• McDs only do business with suppliers who pack
  fewer patties in each stack
• Saves McDs time and money
• R REARRANGE?
• Rearrange architecture of hamburger stand
• Adding seating, drive-thru

5

• II. S-C-A-M-P-E-R
• SUBSTITUTE
• What can be substituted?
• Who else? What else?
• Can the rules be changed?
• Other ingredient? Other material?
• Other process or procedure?
• Other color?
• Other power?
• Other place?
• Other approach?
• Change Format?
• What else instead? What other part instead of
  this?

6

• COMBINE?
• What ideas can be combined?
• Can we combine purposes?
• How about an assortment?
• How about a blend, an alloy, an ensemble?
• Combine units?
• What other article could be merged with this?
• How could we package a combination?
• What can be combined to multiply possible users?
• What materials could we combine?
• Combine appeals?

7

• ADAPT?
• What else is like this?
• What other idea does this suggest?
• Does the past offer a parallel?
• What could I copy?
• Whom could I emulate?
• What idea could I incorporate?
• What other process could be adapted?
• What else could be adapted?
• What different contexts can I put my concept in?
• What ideas outside my field can I incorporate?

8

• MAGNIFY?
• What can be magnified, made larger, or extended?
• What can be exaggerated? Overstated?
• What can be added? More time? Stronger? Higher?
  Longer?
• How about greater frequency? Extra features?
• What can add extra value?
• What can be duplicated?
• How could I carry it to adramatic extreme?

9

• MODIFY?
• How can this be altered for the better?
• What can be modified?
• Is there a new twist?
• Change meaning, color, motion,sound, odor, form,
  shape?
• Change name?
• Other changes?
• What changes can be made in the plans? In the
  process? In marketing?
• What other form could this take? What other
  package?
• Can the package be combined with the form?

10

• PUT TO OTHER USES?
• What else can this be used for?
• Are there new ways to use as is?
• Other uses if modified?
• What else could be made from this?
• Other extensions? Other markets?
• ELIMINATE OR MINIFY?
• What if this were smaller?
• What should I omit? Subtract? Delete?
• Should I divide it up? Split it up? Separate it
  into different parts?
• Understate?
• Streamline? Make miniature? Condense? Compact?
• Can the rules be eliminated?
• Whats not necessary?

11

• REARRANGE?
• What other arrangement might be better?
• Interchange components?
• Other pattern? Other layout?
• Other sequence? Change the order?
• Transpose cause and effect?
• Change pace?
• Change schedule?
• REVERSE?
• Can I transpose positive and negative?
• What are the opposites? Consider it backwards
• What are the negatives?
• Should I turn it around? Up instead of down?
  Down instead of up? Reverse roles?
• Do the unexpected?