ideation-scamper

name	ideation-scamper
description	Generate innovative ideas systematically using SCAMPER techniques within your Closed World. Guides you through all 7 creative thinking methods (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other uses, Eliminate, Reverse) to generate 30-50+ ideas from existing components. Use after solution-definition to explore innovation possibilities. Third phase of systematic innovation.

Ideation Powerhouse: SCAMPER Orchestration

Purpose

Generate a large quantity of diverse, innovative ideas by systematically applying all 7 SCAMPER techniques to your solution's Closed World components. This orchestrator guides you through each technique in sequence, ensuring comprehensive exploration of the innovation space.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• You've completed solution-definition (PRFAQ + Closed World mapping)
• You need to generate many innovative ideas before selecting best options
• You want systematic creativity rather than random brainstorming
• You're ready to explore how to innovate within available resources
• You need ideas that are grounded in what's actually feasible

SCAMPER Overview

SCAMPER is a creative thinking technique that provides 7 different lenses for generating ideas:

1. Substitute - Replace components with alternatives
2. Combine - Merge components in novel ways
3. Adapt - Borrow ideas from other contexts
4. Modify/Magnify/Minify - Change attributes, scale, or properties
5. Put to other uses - Repurpose components for new jobs
6. Eliminate - Remove components to simplify
7. Reverse/Rearrange - Flip or reorder processes/components

Each technique reveals different types of innovations. Using all 7 ensures comprehensive coverage.

Orchestrated Workflow

This skill guides you through all 7 SCAMPER techniques systematically. For each technique:

Step 1: Review Closed World

Start with the Closed World map from your solution-definition. This is your innovation playground.

Step 2: Apply Technique Sequentially

Work through each SCAMPER technique in order:

1. Substitute (5-10 ideas)
2. Combine (5-10 ideas)
3. Adapt (5-10 ideas)
4. Modify (5-10 ideas)
5. Put to other uses (5-10 ideas)
6. Eliminate (5-10 ideas)
7. Reverse (5-10 ideas)

Step 3: Capture All Ideas

Don't judge yet—just generate. Aim for quantity over quality at this stage. Target: 30-50+ total ideas.

Step 4: Quick Filtering

After all 7 techniques, do a quick pass to remove duplicates and obviously infeasible ideas.

Step 5: Ready for Evaluation

Move to idea-evaluation skill to rate and select top ideas.

Using Individual SCAMPER Skills

You can also use each SCAMPER technique as a standalone skill if you want to focus on a specific approach:

• scamper-substitute - Deep dive on replacement strategies
• scamper-combine - Focus on merging and integration
• scamper-adapt - Extensive cross-industry inspiration
• scamper-modify - Explore variations and adjustments
• scamper-put-to-other-uses - Repurposing and new applications
• scamper-eliminate - Simplification and minimalism
• scamper-reverse - Inversion and rearrangement

When to use individual skills:

• You want deeper exploration of one technique
• Time-constrained (choose 2-3 most relevant techniques)
• Targeting specific innovation type (e.g., simplification → use Eliminate)

When to use this orchestrator:

• First time ideating on a solution
• Want comprehensive coverage
• Need large quantity of diverse ideas

Complete Examples

For inspiration and patterns: Read references/example-outputs.md for complete SCAMPER sessions applied to all four case studies:

• FairCredit (Nigeria mobile micro-lending)
• AsyncFlow (Southeast Asia remote collaboration)
• SolarSeva (Rural India home solar)
• Unbroken (Sweden disaster logistics)

Each example shows all 7 techniques applied, revealing 40-50 ideas per solution.

Output Format

Structure your SCAMPER ideation session as follows:

# SCAMPER Ideation: [Product/Service Name]

## Closed World Reference
[Brief reminder of key internal and external components from solution-definition]

---

## SUBSTITUTE Ideas
[5-10 ideas replacing components with alternatives]

1. **Idea:** [concise description]
   **What's substituted:** [component] → [alternative]
   **Potential benefit:** [why this might be valuable]

---

## COMBINE Ideas
[5-10 ideas merging components in novel ways]

1. **Idea:** [concise description]
   **What's combined:** [component A] + [component B]
   **Potential benefit:** [why this might be valuable]

---

## ADAPT Ideas
[5-10 ideas borrowing from other contexts]

1. **Idea:** [concise description]
   **Adapted from:** [industry/context]
   **Potential benefit:** [why this might be valuable]

---

## MODIFY Ideas
[5-10 ideas changing attributes, scale, properties]

1. **Idea:** [concise description]
   **What's modified:** [component/attribute] → [how it changes]
   **Potential benefit:** [why this might be valuable]

---

## PUT TO OTHER USES Ideas
[5-10 ideas repurposing components]

1. **Idea:** [concise description]
   **Component repurposed:** [component]
   **New use:** [alternative purpose]
   **Potential benefit:** [why this might be valuable]

---

## ELIMINATE Ideas
[5-10 ideas removing components]

1. **Idea:** [concise description]
   **What's eliminated:** [component]
   **How it still works:** [brief explanation]
   **Potential benefit:** [why this might be valuable]

---

## REVERSE Ideas
[5-10 ideas flipping or reordering]

1. **Idea:** [concise description]
   **What's reversed:** [process/relationship]
   **Potential benefit:** [why this might be valuable]

---

## Summary
**Total ideas generated:** [count]
**Ideas to explore further:** [quick list of most promising]
**Ready for:** idea-evaluation skill

Tips for Success

Before starting:

• Have your PRFAQ and Closed World map ready
• Set timer: 60-90 minutes for full SCAMPER session
• Work in environment free from distractions
• Have someone to bounce ideas with (optional but helpful)

During ideation:

• Quantity over quality—defer judgment
• Build on "crazy" ideas—they often lead somewhere
• Reference Closed World frequently—stay grounded
• If stuck on a technique, move to next and come back
• Aim for 5-10 per technique, but don't force it
• Write brief descriptions—details come later

After ideation:

• Let ideas sit for a few hours or overnight
• Quick pass to remove duplicates and nonsense
• Group related ideas as variations
• Don't throw away "wild" ideas—sometimes the best innovations seem crazy at first

Common Pitfalls

Avoid these mistakes:

• Skipping techniques: Each reveals different innovations—don't skip any
• Judging too early: Kills creativity—separate generation from evaluation
• Not using Closed World: Adding new components defeats the constraint
• Vague ideas: "Make it better" isn't an idea—be specific
• Stopping too soon: Push past first obvious ideas to breakthrough thinking
• Working alone if stuck: Sometimes a partner helps unstick creativity
• Analysis paralysis: 60-90 minutes is enough—don't overthink

Integration with Previous Phases

SCAMPER ideation builds directly on solution-definition:

From PRFAQ:

• Customer pains inform which ideas might have most impact
• Vision guides overall direction of ideation
• Constraints from FAQ keep ideas realistic

From Closed World:

• Internal components are your building blocks
• External components are additional resources
• Relationships reveal innovation opportunities
• Constraint forces creative thinking

Example: For FairCredit (micro-lending), Closed World includes: loan algorithm, mobile app, repayment tracking, SMS notifications, user's contacts, user's transaction history, local merchants. SCAMPER asks: What if we substitute formal credit score with merchant endorsements? Combine loan repayment with merchant loyalty points? Adapt peer lending from crowdfunding? Etc.

Next Steps

After completing SCAMPER ideation:

1. Quick review: Remove obvious duplicates and infeasible ideas
2. Evaluation: Use idea-evaluation skill to rate and rank ideas
3. Validation: Use critical-validation skill (Six Hats) on top ideas
4. Technical challenges: If hard problems emerge, use technical-breakthrough skill (TRIZ)

The goal is quantity at this stage. You'll narrow down to the best ideas in the next phase.

Individual Technique Resources

For deeper exploration of specific techniques, see:

• scamper-substitute skill - Replacement strategies and examples
• scamper-combine skill - Merging and integration patterns
• scamper-adapt skill - Cross-industry inspiration library
• scamper-modify skill - Variation and adjustment approaches
• scamper-put-to-other-uses skill - Repurposing frameworks
• scamper-eliminate skill - Simplification methodologies
• scamper-reverse skill - Inversion and rearrangement techniques

Each individual skill provides more detailed prompts, examples, and templates for that specific SCAMPER technique.