Seven creative operations that systematically transform any existing design
Designers Academy
6 January 2026 · 4 min read
In brief
The SCAMPER method is a structured creative thinking checklist developed by Bob Eberle that uses seven distinct prompts—Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other uses, Eliminate, and Reverse—to systematically transform and innovate existing designs or ideas.
SCAMPER is a structured creative thinking checklist developed by Bob Eberle that prompts designers to approach an existing product or idea from seven distinct angles: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify/Magnify/Minimise, Put to other uses, Eliminate, and Reverse/Rearrange. Each prompt forces a different type of transformation on the design challenge, systematically exploring the space around an existing idea rather than searching for inspiration in an open-ended way. It is particularly powerful for improving and innovating on existing products rather than designing from scratch.
The seven SCAMPER prompts each represent a different creative operation. Substitute asks what could be replaced. Combine asks what could be merged with something else. Adapt asks what could be adjusted from another context. Modify asks what could be changed, enlarged, or shrunk. Put to other uses asks what else this could do. Eliminate asks what could be removed entirely. Reverse asks what could be turned backwards or rearranged. Each prompt applied to an existing product or process generates candidate ideas that would not arise from unconstrained brainstorming.
SCAMPER is most effective for incremental and adjacent innovation: improving an existing product, redesigning a service touchpoint, or identifying quick wins in a mature product roadmap. It is particularly valuable when the design challenge is well-defined and specific, SCAMPER applied to a specific flow or feature is more productive than SCAMPER applied to an entire product vision. Use it when the team needs structured ideation prompts rather than open-ended brainstorming.
Key takeaways
