IDEA Brainstorming SPECIAL ....SCAMPER

 Brainstorming IDEAs - SCAMPER

Bainstorming, the traditional idea generation technique is said to have been originated from India. 400 years ago it was in practice as Prai Barshana, Prai meaning mind and barshana meaning questioning.

Alex Osborn in his book, “Applied Imagination,” outlined series of challenging questions to stimulate possible solutions, insights, perspectives or directions. Scamper is a simplified derivative of brainstorming, rather, a guided thinking process.

During brainstorming, we randomly move, we think of a material, then mind wanders here and there, goes to think about uses, suddenly moves to processes, then we talk about eliminating unnecessary things, back to material and so on. 

Bob Eberle simplified and organized the triggers as SCAMPER. Herewe are guided to do one thing at a time – when talking about ‘Combine,’ we talk

only about it and then we are asked to move to say, ‘Modify.’This technique is very relevant and useful for incremental innovation, particularly for product or

process innovation.

We are challenging our mind (or brain) with a series of questions to stimulate possible solutions, insights, perspectives or directions. SCAMPER is a mnemonic, S

– Substitute, C – Combine, A – Adapt, M – Modify, P – Put to another use, E – Eliminate and R – Reverse.

S – Substitute: What else, other material, components, attributes, ingredients, elements, places, approaches, steps, technology etc. Plastic is substituting wood, metals, glass and other materials.

Synthetic fibres are substituting natural fibres. Video conferencing is substituting cumbersome air travels saving money and time. What resources can you substitute or swap to improve the product? What rules

or theories could you substitute?

C – Combine: A table and a chair are combined to get a chair with a writing arrangement for class rooms, Transistor sets and cassette recorders were combined to get two in ones. Cell phones are combined with cameras. We can combine different materials to get alloys or composites. We can combine different functions – log in your computer and start your work while travelling. We can merge sales and services together, so that the same person can do both the works. What if you combined purposes or objectives? How could you combine talent and resources to create a new approach to this product or service?

A – Adapt: We can adapt ‘blue tooth’ technology to integrate computer systems and get rid of the cumbersome cabling. Take ‘cyclone separator’ principle to domestic vacuum cleaners to filter the air – dust mixture. Change its function? Cell phone is not only for talking, you can do banking or even business with that. What can we copy from other industries / businesses? Shampoos

are packed in sachets for one time use, why not cough syrups also in sachets? The duck is always in water, but doesn’t get wet. What about adapting that material or technology for making ‘non-stick’ material? What other

products or ideas could you use for inspiration?

M – Modify: How could you change the shape, look, or feel of your product? We can modify the shapes of water bottles, so that it is easier to hold, modify the seat of the chairs as buckets like for more contouring comfort.

Modify liquid to solid, for easy packing and transportation, like Rasna. Liquefy petroleum gas for easy transport. We can modify as in maximizing, things for faster, more frequent, more concentrated. Also we can, as in minimizing, instant food, instant water heaters

etc.

P – Put to another use: Can you use this product somewhere else, perhaps in another industry? What about using washing machines for making ‘lassi’? Newuses? Paper is not necessarily only for writing, why not as an insulator or for packaging? Put in another

environment? What about using stationary bicycles meant for exercising for generating electricity? New audiences, new market segments.

E – Eliminate:Unnecessary fat, big sedans have become compact models, or even hatchbacks. Food concentrates, Cholesterol or fat free butter, sugar free soft drinks, low

calorie ice creams, energy saving LED bulbs. What can be removed to make something entirely new or slightly different? If reduced to essential function, what is left?

R – Reverse: Reversible jackets or belts. What would happen if you reversed this process or sequenced things differently? What about cooling first and then filtering, so that we can recover some energy? What if you try to do

the exact opposite of what you're trying to do now? What roles could you reverse or swap?

Using SCAMPER: State the problem that is preventing the result to be achieved. Then select any of the areas and post the questions to yourself or to your team as in a

brainstorming session, to challenge your thinking, inspire a new direction, and shape new ideas.

CREATIVITY SPHERE  FEB 2017