SCAMPER

Purpose

SCAMPER is a structured creativity checklist that applies seven transformation lenses to an existing product, process, or idea. Each letter prompts a different type of change, ensuring the team explores the full spectrum of modifications rather than defaulting to incremental improvements.

At a glance

• Group size: 3–10
• Duration: 30 minutes
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Facilitation style: Structured ideation, round-robin
• Setting: In-person or virtual

How to run

1. Identify the subject (3 min). Choose the product, service, or process to transform. Describe its current state.
2. Walk through each lens (21 min, ~3 min each):

• S — Substitute: What components, materials, or people could we swap?
• C — Combine: What could we merge, blend, or integrate?
• A — Adapt: What could we borrow from elsewhere? What if we adjusted it for a different context?
• M — Modify (Magnify/Minify): What if we made it bigger, smaller, faster, slower?
• P — Put to other use: What else could it be used for? Who else could use it?
• E — Eliminate: What could we remove, simplify, or strip away?
• R — Reverse (Rearrange): What if we reversed the order, flipped roles, or turned it upside down?

1. Harvest and prioritize (6 min). Review all ideas. Dot-vote on the most promising.

Materials needed

• SCAMPER prompt cards or poster
• Sticky notes and markers
• Timer

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Rushing through lenses. Give each lens genuine attention — don’t treat it as a checkbox.
• Only using familiar lenses. Teams tend to gravitate to Substitute and Combine; push for Eliminate and Reverse.
• Applying to a vague subject. SCAMPER works best on a concrete, well-defined subject.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Display the SCAMPER acronym with full words and brief explanations visually.
• Provide examples for each lens to lower the barrier for less experienced participants.
• Allow written and verbal contributions.

Variations

• Speed SCAMPER: 1 minute per lens for a rapid 7-minute session.
• Individual SCAMPER: Each participant works through all lenses alone, then shares top ideas.
• SCAMPER + Dot Vote: Combine with immediate voting after each lens.

When NOT to use this

• When the team needs to create something from scratch — SCAMPER transforms existing things.
• When the subject is too abstract to apply concrete modification questions to.

Source & further reading

• Eberle, B. (1996). *SCAMPER: Creative Games and Activities for Imagination Development.* Prufrock Press.
• Osborn, A. F. (1953). *Applied Imagination.* Scribner.