Strategic Design | marketing & branding thoughts by Nick Rice

I've used the SCAMPER methodology for brainstorming quite effectively over the years.

SCAMPER stands for:

• S - substitute
• C - combine/create
• A - add
• M - modify/magnify
• P - put to other uses
• E - eliminate/elaborate
• R - reverse/rearrange

This is a great way to get your creative juices flowing. We've all seen that ingenious little tweak on someone else's idea that sparks a new flurry of ideas. The SCAMPER methodology allows you to create in bitesize chunks. Instead of having to have an ideal moment of inspiration, these techniques get your brain thinking in ways that you may not be used to.

Let's take a basic pencil.

S - substitute pencil for crayon, marker, chalk, lead, paint anything that play a similar role
C - combine pencil with lead pencil, #2 pencil, pencil and pen, pencil and paper
A - add pencil to a messy desk, journal of dreams, a sketchbook
M - magnify a part of the pencil you want to focus on - clean erases, visual display of how sharp the lead is and how much is left
E - what would a pencil be like without the six sides (easier to hold or harder), is it better w/ blue lead, does the audience need a pencil/pen combo
R - is there a way to rearrange a pencil? Not sure, it's pretty well baked.

After a while, you can see how these methods get you thinking differently about a simple pencil. It's easy to put yourself in the shoes of the Dixon-Ticonderoga marketing manager planning his/her next campaign.

Anyway, use the SCAMPER techniques to find new solutions to problems. Once you begin to understand and apply each letter, you'll be able to dissect how other companies came to their conclusions on product names, features, and design.

technorati tags > brainstorming, techniques, scamper, product, development, features, design