Brainstorming.mobi 
Training on the SCAMPER Technique
The SCAMPER technique uses a set of directed questions which you answer
about your problem in order to come up with new ideas. The stimulus comes
from forcing yourself to answer questions which you would not normally pose.
The questions direct you to thinking about a problem in ways which typically
come up with new ideas.
SCAMPER is an acronym which stands for questions relating to the following:
S - Substitute/Simplify
Think about substituting part of your product/process for something else.
By looking for something to substitute you can often come up with new ideas.
Typical questions: What can I substitute to make an improvement? What if I
swap this for that and see what happens? How can I substitute the place, time,
materials or people?
C - Combine
Think about combining two or more parts of your problem to achieve a different
product/process or to enhance synergy. Typical questions: What materials,
features, processes, people, products or components can I combine? Where can
I build synergy?
A - Adapt
Think about which parts of the product/process could be adapted to remove
the problem or think how you could change the nature of the product/process.
Typical questions: What part of the product could I change? And in exchange
for what? What if I were to change the characteristics of a component?
M - Modify/distort
Think about changing part or all of the current situation, or to distort it
in an unusual way. By forcing yourself to come up with new ways of working,
you are often prompted into an alternative product/process. Typical questions:
What happens if I warp or exaggerate a feature or component? What will happen
if I modify the process in some way?
P - Put to other Purposes
Think of how you might be able to put your current solution/ product/process
to other purposes, or think of what you could reuse from somewhere else in
order to solve your own problem. You might think of another way of solving
your own problem or finding another market for your product. Typical questions:
What other market could I use this product in? Who or what else might be able
to use it?
E - Eliminate
Think of what might happen if you eliminated various parts of the product/process/problem
and consider what you might do in that situation. This often leads you to
consider different ways of tackling the problem. Typical questions: What would
happen if I removed a component or part of it? How else would I achieve the
solution without the normal way of doing it?
R - Reverse/Rearrange
Think of what you would do if part of your problem/product/process worked
in reverse or done in a different order. What would you do if you had to do
it in reverse? You can use this to see your problem from different angles
and come up with new ideas. Typical questions: What if I did it the other
way round? What if I reverse the order it is done or the way it is used? How
would I achieve the opposite effect?