scamper

SCAMPER Method

Creative thinking framework for innovation and problem-solving.

The 7 Lenses

Letter	Lens	Prompt
S	Substitute	What can be replaced? Different material, person, process, component?
C	Combine	What can merge? Blend features, ideas, purposes, audiences?
A	Adapt	What else is like this? What could be copied or borrowed from elsewhere?
M	Modify	What can change? Size, shape, color, frequency, intensity, meaning?
P	Put to other uses	What else could this be used for? New contexts, audiences, problems?
E	Eliminate	What can be removed? Simplify, reduce, strip to essentials?
R	Reverse	What if opposite? Flip the order, roles, perspective, direction?

Application Modes

Quick SCAMPER (default)

Pick 2-3 most relevant lenses, generate 1 strong idea each. Use for: casual brainstorming, quick expansions

Full SCAMPER

All 7 lenses, 1-2 ideas each. Use for: serious idea development, comprehensive exploration

Targeted SCAMPER

Enzo specifies which lens(es) to focus on. Use for: when he knows what angle he wants

Integration Points

New Idea Saved

After saving to notes/ideas.md, offer: "Want me to SCAMPER this?" If yes → run Quick SCAMPER, append output to the idea entry.

Framework Adaptation

When saving a framework, optionally run SCAMPER to personalize:

• Substitute: What would you swap for your industry/role?
• Combine: What other framework could this merge with?
• Adapt: Who does something similar you could borrow from?

Hackathon Ideation

For generating hackathon concepts from existing products:

1. Take the product/tool
2. Run full SCAMPER
3. Filter for "impressive demo in 24h" feasibility
4. Output top 3 concepts

Stuck Breaker

When Enzo says "I'm stuck on X":

1. Clarify the blocker
2. Run SCAMPER on the problem
3. Focus on Reverse and Eliminate (often best for unblocking)

Output Format

### SCAMPER: [Subject]

**Substitute:** [idea]
**Combine:** [idea]  
**Adapt:** [idea]
**Modify:** [idea]
**Put to other uses:** [idea]
**Eliminate:** [idea]
**Reverse:** [idea]

💡 **Strongest angle:** [which one and why]

For Quick SCAMPER, only include the 2-3 lenses used.