Digital Corps

SCAMPER Brainstorming

Quick Tip!

Fuel innovation and creativity by exploring a problem from these seven different perspectives.

Helpful Staff for this Topic

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SCAMPER Brainstorming is a tool that helps generate ideas for new products and services by encouraging thoughts about how to improve existing ones. At the Digital Corps, SCAMPER may be helpful on projects that incorporate new and innovative technologies like the touch table, large wall screen, or Hololens, in order to come up with ideas for unique interface designs and navigation interactions.

What does SCAMPER mean?

Substitute

Something that can serve as a substitute for something else.

Questions that accompany this letter include:

• What could you substitute for improvement?
• What might you do/use instead?
• What will happen if you change your feelings or attitude toward this product?

Combine

Something that has been combined for a new purpose.

Questions that accompany this letter:

• What could you combine with this product to make something new?
• What might work well together?
• What could be brought together?

Adapt

Something that has been adapted for use.

Questions that accompany this letter:

• What could be adjusted to suit a purpose or condition?
• How could you make it fit?
• Is there anything else like this?

Modify

Something that has been modified from nature.

Questions that accompany this letter:

• Could you make it larger, greater, or stronger?
• Could you make it smaller, lighter, or slower?
• What would happen if you changed the color, sound, taste, smell?
• What could you add to modify the product?

Put to another use

Something that has been put to use in a way it was not intended.

Questions that accompany this letter:

• How could you use it for a different purpose?
• What are some new ways to apply it?
• Where else could you use it?

Eliminate

Something eliminated from a product that made it better.

Questions that accompany this letter:

• What could you subtract or take away?
• What could you do without it?

Reverse

What product was created from reversing it (turning it upside down, backwards, or inside out)?

Questions that accompany this letter:

• What would you have if you reversed the order or turned it around?
• Could you change the parts, the layout, or the sequence?
• What roles could you reverse or swap?
• What if you try to do the exact opposite of what you’re trying to do now?

How can SCAMPER be used?

The touch table introduced two different projects to the Digital Corps that incorporated learning experiences with fun, game-like interactions. One project allowed the user to paint with different colors and brushes on the touch table. The other project displayed a timeline of different dinosaurs from different eras and compared their locations and feeding patterns.

The Dinosaur Timeline table project was built for use on the Ideum Touch Table, a 55″ surface capable of 80 points of touch. Three pucks, referred to as tangible objects, were included with the table and simulated the finger-touch interaction of a user. Each puck had a distinct sensor configuration that offered the ability for different interactions based on the individual puck. For example, the Dinosaur Timeline table project used the pucks to represent different types of dinosaurs based on their environment: land, sea, and air. When a puck was placed on the table, a timeline for each environment appeared and the user could rotate the puck to select different time periods.

Substitute

Example: How might we use the pucks to substitute the typical finger-touch interaction of selecting a timeline and rotating through the years?

Combine

Example: How might we combine engaging interactions and design with the pucks to create an educational experience?

Adapt

Example: How might we adapt a typical website design and experience to a touch table and create an interactive experience with the pucks?

Modify

Example: How might we modify the timeline and interface to compare multiple dinosaurs at one time?

Put to Another Use

Example: How might we use the pucks to represent each dinosaur while allowing the user to modify the interface with different movements?

Eliminate

Example: How might we eliminate typical finger-touch interactions to rely solely on the pucks?

Reverse

Example: How might we switch the layout of the interface to accommodate a comparison of two dinosaurs rather than just an observation of one dinosaur.

While SCAMPER was not used in the case of the Dinosaur Timeline table project, it could have been beneficial during the brainstorming phase of the project. The user interface, use of the pucks, and user navigation are all aspects of the project that could have been informed and guided by the results of a SCAMPER brainstorming session. Similar to Six Hats, this technique provides participants an opportunity to view the problem from different perspectives to identify the best possible solutions.

While there may be different protocols for different projects, SCAMPER allows the team to think about how to improve a project by asking questions to see a different perspective. Depending on the needs of the project, consider which brainstorming technique best fits the problem trying to be solved. Feel free to talk to the UX Team Lead if you need more help.