Brainstorming with SCAMPER
Entrepreneuring
October / November 2011
Volume 9 Number 5
I agree with Linus Pauling who said, “The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.” In my experience not every idea is a good idea and not every good idea is a profitable idea. So the best way to have a profitable idea is to explore lots of ideas. Given our renewed national emphasis on innovation it is probably a good time to take another look at the process of creating ideas and innovation, brainstorming.
Alex Faickney Osborn of the BBDO advertising agency introduced the term “brainstorming” in his 1953 book How to Think Up. One of the techniques that Osborn liked to employ in his late-career brainstorming sessions was asking SCAMPER questions.
He had observed that most new innovations were changes to something that already existed. Innovation does not have to be a radical departure from existing products or services. Often substantial improvements can be achieved with very subtle changes.
SCAMPER is a mnemonic developed by Bob Eberle to help organize Alex Osborn’s questions. It helps the questioner explore a number of possible changes to any existing product, service, problem, methodology or process. The acronym stands for (S)ubstitute, (C)ombine, (A)dapt, (M)aximize or Minimize, (P)ut to other uses, (E)liminate, and (R)earrange or Reverse. New niches, new products and new markets can often be found by applying SCAMPER questions to existing products, even in mature industries.
The process starts with a simple question, such as “How do we create a new product using the expertise that we already have?”
To demonstrate how SCAMPER can be used, let’s look at the innovations in a very familiar industry, soft drinks, and look at some of the innovations that have occurred in this established industry.
Substitute. Are there any components of our product that can be substituted or replaced with something else? In many industries the components that make up the products that are sold are numerous and so substitution is a very straightforward approach to innovation. For example, lightweight plastic parts for metal components or solid-state electronics for tubes and resistors.
In the soft drink industry the introduction of artificial sweeteners created a whole new category of beverages, the diet soda.
Combine. Can our product be combined with other products to create a new product? Our everyday life is full of examples of combined innovations. A cellphone that includes a camera, an MP3 player and GPS receiver is a perfect example of combination innovation. This brainstorming technique also gave us cherry cola, diet cola with lime and even cola and alcohol together in the same can.
Adapt. Are there ideas from other industries that we can borrow and apply to our product? Many of the new products that come to market every year are based on adapting solutions from non-related industries. Carpenters borrowed the band saw from the meat packing industry, banks lifted the ATM from the vending industry, and recently the electric car industry has begun to adapt laptop batteries as their energy storage medium.
The syrups used in fountain service for soft drinks are delivered in what the industry calls “Bag-in-Box” containers that were adapted from the chemical industry, originally designed for the shipment of battery acid.
Maximize or minimize. Are there components of the product that can be enlarged or shrunken? The obvious expression of this approach has been the miniaturization of electronics. But an equal number of innovations have been created by “maximizing” the size or portion of a product sold.
Many of the innovations in the soft drink industry have come about due to this brainstorming technique. Today it is possible to walk into the supermarket and buy soda in a 2 liter bottle, 1 liter bottle, 6, 12 or 24 pack of 12-ounce cans, and even a single serving 7.5 ounce “half-can.”
Each unique size of product has a unique demographic appeal and allows the manufacturer to sell to different consumers in a way in which they could not have previously.
Put to other uses. Are there completely different uses for your product? Some manufacturers have figured out that there are multiple uses and have built advertising campaigns around these “non-traditional” uses. WD-40 and duct tape have web sites devoted to the myriad “other uses” for their products. One of the large soft drink manufacturers has sponsored a cook-off for recipes that use their product as an ingredient.
Eliminate. Are there components or features of your product that can be eliminated? As devices have become more complex, opportunities are created in simplification. Some consumers only want their cell phone to send and receive calls.
Recently a startup soft drink company introduced a line of drinks to address the health-conscious consumer market that contained none of the preservatives that extended shelf life.
Rearrange or reverse. Is there an opportunity to rearrange the process? Often we assume that the way in which something is done is the only or best way to accomplish the task. Whole industries have been created by companies that were willing to experiment with the assumed or entrenched method of production.
Several enterprise soft drink entrepreneurs have re-invented the soda delivery paradigm by introducing the home fountain service. The traditional manufacture, delivery and retail sales channels have been by-passed and the consumers are invited to mix their own sodas at home.
Even in a stagnant economy there is always room for improvements to just about every product or service that is sold. The successful entrepreneur is the one that can identify the need and provide an innovative idea to the marketplace. And the key to having a good idea is to have lots of them.
John Freisinger is president and CEO of Technology Ventures Corporation.
More
Copyright © 2012 | Innovation America