SCAMPER
SCAMPER is seven prompts — Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse — for transforming an existing idea or product into new ones.
Intermediate◷ 20–40 minFree · no login
Seven moves that turn one idea into many.
How to use it + an example
How to use it
- 1Start from an existing product or a first idea.
- 2Work through the seven prompts one at a time, writing at least one idea for each.
- 3Pick the two strongest ideas and sketch them to develop further.
Example
Starting from a standard desk lamp, "Combine" gives a lamp with a phone stand and "Eliminate" gives a clip-on lamp with no base — two genuinely different design ideas.
When to use it: When developing ideas, especially when students are stuck on their first idea (MYP Design Criterion B).
Ideate: Lots of ideas first. Pick one after.
Your turn ↓
SCAMPER
Seven ways to push an idea somewhere new — substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to other use, eliminate, reverse.
Enter to start · Shift+Enter for a new line
Look back. Which move gave you the idea you least expected?
Try next
- Lotus DiagramExpand a central idea into 8 themes, then 8 sub-ideas each.Try it free →
- Reverse BrainstormBrainstorm bad ideas first, then flip them into real solutions.Try it free →
- Morphological ChartCombine features across categories to generate novel combinations.Try it free →
New to SCAMPER? Read a full worked example, filled in from start to finish.
For teachers: Ideate stage · 20-40m. Free, no login. One of the 45 design thinking tools on StudioLoom, which also puts them inside lessons so students’ thinking is saved with their project.