Random Stimulus:

Basic Summary: Participants use free association in connection with a random word or image to generate new ideas. Videos and Descriptions: http://www.bmgi.com/resources/elearning/brainstorming-techniques
http://www.mycoted.com/Random_Stimuli

Random Stimuli
A to Z of Creativity Techniques

Previous Technique Quality Circles

Next Technique Rawlinson Brainstorming Several authors have recommended the use of random stimuli of various kinds (see Creative Thinking, Lateral Thinking, Problem-Solving through Creative Analysis), which suggests there is a fundamental significance for being open to possibilities from everywhere. Although the concept is often used informally, a formal approach may look like this: 1. Identify your criteria for ideas e.g. ideas for solving a problem or tackling some aspect of it, an idea to be built on, a hypothesis to be investigated, etc. Spend some time on this stage for better-quality outcomes later. 2. Pick a stimulus at random, by looking or listening to everything around you indoors and outdoors, something that catches your attention, opening a newspaper, dictionary, catalogue, book of pictures, throwing a dice at random or any other method that appeals to you. 3. You should now relate this random stimulus back to your original problem; this could be done using simple Free Association 4. On the other hand you could go for a full Excursion, by describing the stimulus (how it works, what it does, what effects it has, how it is used, size, position,

etc). Followed by force-fit pieces of this comprehensive description back to the problem to recommend relevant ideas. 5. Should a random stimulus fail to work, pick another and keep trying.

Some variants to try:

Combining fixed and random elements: Choose a specific element of the problem and name it the fixed element. Now select a random stimulus via any chosen method and free-associate way is which these 2 elements could be combined. You can convey these directly to the problem, or use the 2-element combination itself to trigger additional ideas. Now select a new random stimulus, repeat the process with the same fixed element and after several cycles of this choose a fresh fixed element and repeat. Select 2-3 grammatically random stimuli:

Noun + verb Adjective + noun Verb + adverb Noun + verb + noun

Try to create an unusual phrase, for example if you observed a school and a plane flying overhead, that might yield phrases such flying school or teaching flying. You could free associate further phrase combinations from the one created so flying school might generate elevated learning, etc. Go out of your way to attempt something alternative chat to people you wouldnt normally choose to (even if its the office bore!), stroll round parts of your work place you dont usually have contact with, if something catches your attention be curious and explore the thought, take different transportation to and from work. When you have found something that seems different, build ideas around it. Encourage incubation: Be aware of the problem, subconsciously in your day-to-day life, as you go for walks, shopping, work or at the gym. Without too much effort, make notes if ideas spring to mind unexpectedly (see also Bunches of Bananas). Watch a demonstration of this technique by UC Berkeley Students: 1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1-OziXpL2w

http://www.brainstorming.co.uk/tutorials/randomwordtutorial.html

Welcome to the Random Word tutorial

Click here for the free interactive online version of this technique

How to use the Random Word technique Welcome to the Random Word technique, the most basic and obviously creative technique where you use a random word (hence the name!) to generate new ideas. By getting a random word as a prompt and forcing yourself to use it to solve your problem you are practically guaranteed to attack the problem from a different direction to normal. You take a word from a random word generator, extract its underlying principles and then apply them to your problem to see how they can help. The skill is stopping your mind from (a) thinking this is silly and (b) directly using the actual principles behind the word to your problem without changing them to ones which are easier to apply.
The first thing you need is the random word itself which is classed as the initial stimulus. Next, you establish a bridging idea, which is an idea based on the stimulus. This is used, as the name implies, as a bridge between the stimulus and an idea which you could actually use on your problem. The simplest way to get a random word is using our dedicated software (Brainstorming Toolbox) to give you a random word at the touch of a button.

Quick example 1: Using the random word "Balloon" in the context of new ideas about cars. A bridging idea could be that you inflate the balloon under the car. The advantages of this would be that the car jack would not puncture rusty cars and that cars could be raised on soft ground. The resulting final idea could be to have a car jack which spreads its force more evenly under the car and onto the ground.

Quick example 2: Using a random word of "Spacecraft" in the context of new ideas about kitchens. A bridging idea would be to consider what would happen if the kitchen was in space and what would happen because of gravity. The resulting idea could lead to the fact that you would need to stop the pans from floating off the cooker/hob. This could lead to using magnets to hold the pans on (back on the earth's surface). This would stop small children from accidentally pulling the hot pans onto themselves. Or how about using a magnetic field to heat the pan?

Where you get the random word is up to you. The quickest and most random way to get one is by using computer software. If you don't have that, flip though a dictionary and stop randomly, or pick a random page, paragraph and word from a general interest magazine. You are welcome to use our free web version (which contains one hundred words) to show you how useful it can be. One you have got a random word, there are many ways of using it, including:

1. Replacing the problem object with the random noun and imagining what would happen. (NB. It is easier, safer and cheaper to do this first in your mind and than in reality.) Think it over in your mind and see what you can get out of it. What does it remind you of, regarding your own problem? What are the benefits from replacing it? If the benefits are original but not practical, then are there any ways you can get the same effect from a more practical means? If there are no benefits,

what are the disadvantages and how might you counter them? (See how powerful this is - whether you think it is good or bad to replace it, both points of view can lead to new ideas!) 2. Looking at the principles behind the random word and reapplying them to your own problem. How does the random object behave? Why does it behave like that? What are its characteristics? Why does it fit its own environment but has not been reapplied elsewhere? Now think of HOW you can apply the principles to your own problem. The skill is in thinking "How can we make this work?" and disregarding any initial thoughts that it won't work. 3. Looking at its benefits. Are they benefits you want? How can you get the same benefits for your own situation? How does the selected word achieve the benefits and how can you use that principle? Click here for more methods of moving from a stimulus to an idea.

Use the following as an example: You are working for a car manufacturer in the wheel department and are trying to come up with some new ideas about the wheel (without reinventing it!) Imagine you are now given this random word: toothbrush! What are your initial thoughts? Probably something like "How on earth is this relevant?" or "What a silly idea, they're totally unconnected". But before we go on, spend a couple of minutes trying to come up with a few ideas.

Ok, here are some examples of ideas you might have come up with (including some working through of the thinking process behind them, which you would not normally write down):

Replacing the wheel with a toothbrush:

Bridging ideas:

Imagine the whole tyre of the wheel is made of toothbrush bristles. What are the advantages? (PS tyre = tire using US spelling)

1. Much better grip in the snow. 2. Small stones pass straight through with a minor disturbance of the bristles. Cleans the road as it goes. Resulting relevant ideas: 1. Create a snow tyre where the snow (or water) is forced though holes in the bottom of the tyre and shot out through small tubes in the rubber, thus stopping the tyre tread from clogging up. 2. Retractable spikes in the tyre. 3. Dimples in the tyre so that small stones are not felt by the passenger(s). 4. What other principles are there about toothbrushes?
Features of a toothbrush:

Bridging ideas: 1. Some toothbrushes change colour when they have been used for too long. 2. Some toothbrushes squirt out toothpaste while you brush. 3. They have springy handles to make sure you do not press too hard. 4. Some have ridges so that at least some bristles get to the bottom of the dips in teeth. 5. They come in plastic containers for travelling. 6. You brush your teeth with them twice a day. Resulting relevant ideas: 1. How about a tyre which has two layers of coloured rubber so that when the underneath layer shows through, the tyre needed replacing. Also police could spot bald tyres from a distance. 2. Could a mini-camera spot oil on the road and spray out an oil remover or could the tyre eject salt in front of the car in the case of ice? 3. Could the suspension be a flexible bit of metal instead of a spring and damper?

4. If the rubber of the tyre was made of a mixture of hard and soft rubber then the soft bits would stick into the dimples in the road and stick better. 5. Could we sell a cover for car wheels so that in snowy countries the wheels would not get blocked with snow? Could we use the cover to stop being wheel-clamped? 6. Could we produce a device which measured the deterioration of the car tyre which each person could check everyday (how might they remember?)?

What are the benefits of a toothbrush?

Bridging ideas: 1. You don't get rotten teeth. 2. It scrapes nasty stuff from your teeth. 3. It makes your teeth feel clean and smooth. Resulting relevant ideas: 1. Could we produce an X-ray device to measure the internal condition of a tyre. 2. People often have to pick out stones from the tyre treads. We could make a 'tread comb' to make this easier and encourage people to use it to make their tyres last longer. We could make it so it only fitted the tyres we sell and so our customers would be pleased by how much longer our tyres lasted. 3. Can we produce a tyre that sprays the ground water on to the car tyre and thus washes itself?

Things to watch out for when using the technique You must be careful not to decide that a specific word is of no use and getting another instead. If you do this then you are more likely than not just trying to choose a word which neatly fits into the problem you are trying to

solve; effectively you don't really end up with a random word. Again, the skill is to work out HOW the word can be made to fit. Be careful not to create too many steps between the random word as a stimulus and the creation of a relevant idea, or you may run the risk of ending up with an idea you already know works. eg. A suggests B, which suggests C, which suggests D - which is the idea we're already using. You also have to train yourself not to link the word with an idea you already know about. You should not take the word at face value. You must guard against using the technique to come up with an old idea to show that the old idea is good, eg. I already like the idea of using brushes on the inside of the wheel arches to clean the tyre so I will link "toothbrushes" to a wheel to come up with the same idea. Wow, it must be a good idea because this random technique came up with it.

Other things to bear in mind Some words will work and others will not, depending on the problem and on the individual involved. No word is guaranteed better than another, it just depends on the situation. You could use a large number of words for each problem or a small number but if you find yourself using a large amount then you should question yourself as to how you are using the word. You may be just searching for a word to fit with an idea you have already. Of course, sometimes using a continuous stream of different words can get a large number of ideas too, but ... c'est la vie.

You can also use the random word technique for assessing the current situation. Often by having a word in front of you, you are stimulated to think about different aspect of the problem. Eg. when I brush my teeth the forces on the toothbrush are in all different directions; is there a problem with having suspension which only goes up and down?; or, when I was a child I hated brushing my teeth, so is the problem with a lot of car journeys that the people in the back hate being there because they cannot see anything?

Often using a random word can just remind you of something which you knew all along but you had forgotten to write down in your investigation. If you have dozens of aspects to a problem, and even if you feel you know them all, it can still be tricky to recall them all when it comes to actually writing them down. A random word can often help remind you of them again. A similar technique, and the next technique to be explained, is the Random Picture Technique which uses a picture as a stimulus instead of a word. Some people find it easier to use pictures rather than words, others vice-versa. You will have to experiment to see which suits you best. Some people, of course, find both techniques work equally well for them but for different aspects of different probortunities. Try the random word technique for yourself and you will certainly improve at coming up with new ideas. Get a random word now - click here for the free interactive technique or try a 30 day trial of our specialist software (Brainstorming Toolbox) to make random words appear on your screen.

To move to the next technique (the Random Picture technique), click on the green door to continue the green (Advanced Brainstorming) tour.

Press 'n' to go to the 'N'ext page, press 'b' to go 'B'ack a page

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SCAMPER:
Basic Summary: SCAMPER = Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to different use, Eliminate, Reverse. Participants use a set of directed questions to help evolve an existing product, service, or solution into one that is more ideal.

Videos and Descriptions: http://www.bmgi.com/resources/elearning/brainstormingtechniques http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8w0rJhztJ4

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCT_02.htm
SCAMPER Improving Products and Services

This tool can help you develop new products and services. iStockphoto/aladin66

It can often be difficult to come up with new ideas when you're trying to develop or improve a product or service. This is where creative brainstorming techniques like SCAMPER can help. This tool helps you generate ideas for new products and services by encouraging you to think about how you could improve existing ones. We'll look at SCAMPER in this article. About the Tool SCAMPER is a mnemonic that stands for: Substitute. Combine. Adapt. Modify. Put to another use. Eliminate. Reverse. From "Scamper: Creative Games and Activities for Imagination Development" by Bob Eberle (page i). 1996 Bob Eberle. Reproduced with permission of Prufrock Press Inc. You use the tool by asking questions about existing products, using each of the seven prompts above. These questions help you come up with creative ideas for developing new products, and for improving current ones. Alex Osborn, credited by many as the originator of brainstorming, originally came up with many of the questions used in the SCAMPER technique. However, it was Bob Eberle, an education administrator and author, who organized these questions into the SCAMPER mnemonic.

Note: Remember that the word "products" doesn't only refer to physical goods. Products can also include processes, services, and even people. You can therefore adapt this technique to a wide range of situations. How to Use the Tool SCAMPER is really easy to use. First, take an existing product or service. This could be one that you want to improve, one that you're currently having problems with, or one that you think could be a good starting point for future development. Then, ask questions about the product you identified, using the SCAMPER mnemonic to guide you. Brainstorm as many questions and answers as you can. (We've included some example questions, below.) Finally, look at the answers that you came up with. Do any stand out as viable solutions? Could you use any of them to create a new product, or develop an existing one? If any of your ideas seem viable, then you can explore them further. Example Questions Let's look at some of the questions you could ask for each letter of the SCAMPER mnemonic: Substitute What materials or resources can you substitute or swap to improve the product? What other product or process could you use? What rules could you substitute? Can you use this product somewhere else, or as a substitute for something else? What will happen if you change your feelings or attitude toward this product? Combine What would happen if you combined this product with another, to create something new? What if you combined purposes or objectives? What could you combine to maximize the uses of this product? How could you combine talent and resources to create a new approach to this product? Adapt How could you adapt or readjust this product to serve another purpose or use? What else is the product like? Who or what could you emulate to adapt this product? What else is like your product? What other context could you put your product into? What other products or ideas could you use for inspiration? Modify How could you change the shape, look, or feel of your product? What could you add to modify this product? What could you emphasize or highlight to create more value? What element of this product could you strengthen to create something new? Put to Another Use Can you use this product somewhere else, perhaps in another industry? Who else could use this product? How would this product behave differently in another setting? Could you recycle the waste from this product to make something new? Eliminate How could you streamline or simplify this product? What features, parts, or rules could you eliminate? What could you understate or tone down? How could you make it smaller, faster, lighter, or more fun? What would happen if you took away part of this product? What would you have in its place? Reverse What would happen if you reversed this process or sequenced things differently?

What if you try to do the exact opposite of what you're trying to do now? What components could you substitute to change the order of this product? What roles could you reverse or swap? How could you reorganize this product? Tip 1: Some ideas that you generate using the tool may be impractical or may not suit your circumstances. Don't worry about this the aim is to generate as many ideas as you can. Tip 2: To get the greatest benefit, use SCAMPER alongside other creative brainstorming and lateral thinking techniques such as Random Input, Provocation, Reversal, and Metaphorical Thinking.

Key Points SCAMPER helps you develop new products and services. Many of the questions used in SCAMPER were created by Alec Osborn, but Bob Eberle developed the mnemonic. SCAMPER stands for: Substitute. Combine. Adapt. Modify. Put to another use. Eliminate. Reverse. To use SCAMPER, you simply go down the list and ask questions regarding each element. Remember, not every idea you generate using SCAMPER will be viable; however, you can take good ideas and explore them further. - See more at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCT_02.htm#sthash.fAlmwX42.dpuf

http://kahliavitraniza.wordpress.com/how-to-use-scamper-technique/

How to use Scamper technique?

SCAMPER is a checklist that helps you to think of changes you can make to an existing product to create a new one. The SCAMPER technique uses a set of directed questions which you answer about your probortunity 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 probortunity in ways which typically come up with new ideas. You can use these changes either as direct suggestions or as starting points for lateral thinking. Developed by Bob Eberle, the changes SCAMPER stands for are:

S Substitute 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. (components, materials, people)

C Combine Think about combining two or more parts of your probortunity to achieve a different product/process or to enhance synergy. (mix, combine with other assemblies or services, integrate) A Adapt Think about which parts of the product/process could be adapted to remove the probortunity or think how you could change the nature of the product/process. (alter, change function, use part of another element) M Modify 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. (increase or reduce in scale, change shape, modify attributes (e.g. colour).)

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 probortunity. You might think of another way of solving your own probortunity or finding another market for your product. (Put to another use)

E Eliminate Think of what might happen if you eliminated various parts of the product/process/probortunity and consider what you might do in that situation. This often leads you to consider different ways of tackling the probortunity. (remove elements, simplify, reduce to core functionality.) R Reverse Think of what you would do if part of your probortunity/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 probortunity from different angles and come up with new ideas. (turn inside out or upside down, or use Reversal.)

EXAMPLE: As an example, imagine that you are a manufacturer of nuts and bolts, and you were looking for new products. SCAMPER would give you:
Substitute use of high tech materials for niche markets, such as high speed steel? Carbon fiber? Plastics? Glass? Non-reactive material? Combine integrate nut and bolt? Bolt and washer? Bolt and spanner? Adapt put Allen key or Star head on bolt? Countersink head? Modify produce bolts for watches or bridges? Produce different shaped bolts (e.g. screw in plugs)? Pre-painted green bolts? Put to another use bolts as hinge pins? As axles? Eliminate Eliminate nuts, washers, heads, thread. Reverse make dies as well as bolts, make bolts that cut threads for themselves in material.

Using SCAMPER here has helped you define possible new products. Many of the ideas may be impractical or may not suit the equipment used by the manufacturer. However some of these ideas could be good starting points for new products.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE:

KEY POINTS SCAMPER is an acronym for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse. This is a list of changes that you could make to existing products and services to open up new opportunities.

http://litemind.com/scamper/

Creative Problem Solving with SCAMPER

CAMPER is a technique you can use to spark your

creativity and help you overcome any challenge you may be facing. In essence, SCAMPER is a general-purpose checklist with idea-spurring questions which is both easy to use and surprisingly powerful. It was created by Bob Eberle in the early 70s, and it definitely stood the test of time. In this posting, I present a complete SCAMPER primer, along with two free creativity-boosting resources: a downloadable reference mind map and an online tool that generates random questions to get you out of a rut whenever you need.

SCAMPER Primer
SCAMPER is based on the notion that everything new is a modification of something that already exists. Each letter in the acronym represents a different way you can play with the characteristics of what is challenging you to trigger new ideas: S = Substitute C = Combine A = Adapt M = Magnify P = Put to Other Uses E = Eliminate (or Minify) R = Rearrange (or Reverse) To use the SCAMPER technique, first state the problem youd like to solve or the idea youd like to develop. It can be anything: a challenge in your personal life or business;

or maybe a product, service or process you want to improve. After pinpointing the challenge, its then a matter of asking questions about it using the SCAMPER checklist to guide you. Consider, for instance, the problem "How can I increase sales in my business?" Following the SCAMPER recipe, here are a few questions you could ask:

S (Substitute): "What can I substitute in my selling process?" C (Combine): "How can I combine selling with other activities?" A (Adapt): "What can I adapt or copy from someone elses selling process?" M (Magnify): "What can I magnify or put more emphasis on when selling?" P (Put to Other Uses): "How can I put my selling to other uses?" E (Eliminate): "What can I eliminate or simplify in my selling process?" R (Rearrange): "How can I change, reorder or reverse the way I sell?" These questions force you to think differently about your problem and eventually come up with innovative solutions. A classic example is MacDonalds founder Ray Kroc. In hindsight, its easy to identify many of the ideas he used through the SCAMPER lens: selling restaurants and real estate instead of simply hamburgers [P = Put to other uses];

having customers pay before they eat [R=Rearrange]; letting customers serve themselves, avoiding the use of waiters [E=Eliminate] just to mention a few.

SCAMPER Reference
You will find below a comprehensive help guide to using SCAMPER. There are more than 60 questions that can be asked, along with almost 200 words and expressions you can create associations with.

Substitute
Think about replacing part of the problem, product or process with something else. By looking for replacements you can often come up with new ideas. You can change things, places, procedures, people, ideas, and even emotions.

Helper Questions

Can I replace or change any parts? Can I replace someone involved? Can the rules be changed? Can I use other ingredients or materials? Can I use other processes or procedures? Can I change its shape? Can I change its color, roughness, sound or smell? What if I change its name? Can I substitute one part for another? Can I use this idea in a different place? Can I change my feelings or attitude towards it?

Trigger Words
alternate, colorize, exchange, fill in for, locum, proxy, relieve, rename, repackage, replace, reposition, reserve, shape, stand in for, surrogate, swap, switch, take the place of

Combine
Think about combining two or more parts of your problem to create a different product or process or to enhance their synergy. A great deal of creative thinking involves combining previously unrelated ideas, goods, or services to create something new.

Helper Questions

What ideas or parts can be combined? Can I combine or recombine its parts purposes? Can I combine or merge it with other objects? What can be combined to maximize the number of uses? What materials could be combined? Can I combine different talents to improve it?

Trigger Words
amalgamate, become one, blend, bring together, coalesce, come together, commingle, conjoin, fuse, intermix, join, link, merge, mingle, mix, package, relate, unite

Adapt

Think about adapting an existing idea to solve your problem. The solution of your problem is probably out there already. Bear in mind that all new ideas or inventions are borrowed to some degree.

Helper Questions

What else is like it? Is there something similar to it, but in a different context? Does the past offer any lessons with similar ideas? What other ideas does it suggest? What could I copy, borrow or steal? Whom could I emulate? What ideas could I incorporate? What processes can be adapted? What different contexts can I put my concept in? What ideas outside my field can I incorporate?

Trigger Words
acclimatize, adapt oneself, adapt, adjust, alter, amend, become accustomed, bend, change, conform, contextualize, copy, emulate, familiarize, find your feet, fit, get a feel for, get used to, incorporate, make suitable, match, modify, readjust, refashion, revise, rework, settle in, transform, vary

Magnify
Think about ways to magnify or exaggerate your idea. Magnifying your idea or parts of it may increase its

perceived value or give you new insights about what components are most important.

Helper Questions

What can be magnified or made larger? What can be exaggerated or overstated? What can be made higher, bigger or stronger? Can I increase its frequency? What can be duplicated? Can I make multiple copies? Can I add extra features or somehow add extra value?

Trigger Words
amplify, augment, boost, enlarge, expand, extend, grow, heighten, increase, intensify, lengthen, make seem more important, multiply, overemphasize, overstress, raise, strenghten, stretch out

Put to Other Uses

Think of how you might be able to put your current idea to other uses, or think of what you could reuse from somewhere else in order to solve your own problem. Many times, an idea only becomes great when applied differently than first imagined.

Helper Questions

What else can it be used for? Can it be used by people other than those it was originally intended for? How would a child use it? An older person? How would people with different disabilities use it?

Are there new ways to use it in its current shape or form? Are there other possible uses if its modified? If I knew nothing about it, would I figure out the purpose of this idea? Can I use this idea in other markets or industries?

Trigger Words
abuse, apply, avail yourself of, behave, benefit, bring into play, contextualize, deplete, draw on consume, employ, enjoy, exercise, exhaust, expend, exploit, get through, handle, luxuriate, make use of, manage, manipulate, mistreat, operate, reposition, source, spend, take advantage of, take pleasure in, tap, treat, use up, utilize, waste, wear out, work

Eliminate (or Minify)

Think of what might happen if you eliminated or minimized parts of your idea. Simplify, reduce or eliminate components. Through repeated trimming of ideas, objects, and processes, you can gradually narrow your challenge down to that part or function that is most important.

Helper Questions

How can I simplify it? What parts can be removed without altering its function? Whats non-essential or unnecessary? Can the rules be eliminated? What if I made it smaller? What feature can I understate or omit?

Should I split it into different parts? Can I compact or make it smaller?

Trigger Words
abolish, control, curb, destroy, disregard, do away with, eradicate, exclude, excrete, expel, exterminate, get rid of, jettison, kill, lessen, limit, liquidate, lower, moderate, modulate, pass, play down, purge, reduce, reject, remove, restraint, restrict, shorten, simplify, temper, throw out, tone down, underemphasize, waste, wipe out

Rearrange (or Reverse)

Think of what you would do if part of your problem, product or process worked in reverse or were done in a different order.

Helper Questions

What other arrangement might be better? Can I interchange components? Are there other patterns, layouts or sequences I can use? Can I transpose cause and effect? Can I change pace or change the schedule of delivery? Can I transpose positives and negatives? Should I turn it around? Up instead of down? Down instead of up? What if I consider it backwards? What if I try doing the exact opposite of what I originally intended?

Trigger Words
adjourn, annul, back up, change the date, change, delay, drive backward, go backward, invalidate, invert, move backward, move, overturn, postpone, put off, quash, readjust, rearrange, relocate, render null and void, reorder, reorganize, repeal, reposition, reschedule, reshuffle, retreat, swap, switch, transpose, turn around, undo, withdraw (icons by Everaldo Coelho)

SCAMPER Resources
1. SCAMPER Random Question Tool

There are many ways to use SCAMPER. For example, you can sequentially go through all the questions in the previous section as fast as you can; or you can stay on each question until you think you exhausted all possibilities. However, when it comes to creativity, getting random and unexpected input can really help your mind find a solution for that impossible problem. With that in mind, as a companion to this article, I created the SCAMPER Random Question Tool: it shows you an unexpected question drawn from all the SCAMPER questions in the previous section. Think about a problem that has been nagging you then give the tool a try to see how many options you can generate.

SCAMPER Random Question Tool

2. SCAMPER Reference Mind Map

Ive put together all the SCAMPER questions from the previous sections in a mind map, formatted for a single printed page. Think of it as a handy one-page reference you can use whenever you are stuck or just need a kick start to get your creative juices flowing.

SCAMPER Reference Mind Map [.pdf, 646 KB]

3. Thinkertoys Book

The best resource I know about SCAMPER is Michael Michalkos wonderful book Thinkertoys: it has more than 40 pages dedicated to SCAMPER alone. Michaels book is the most comprehensive creativity reference I have put my hands on: there are more than 40 creativity techniques that should suit every taste from the most logic to the most intuitive types. Highly recommended! Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques

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Morphological Matrix:
Basic Summary: An existing product or system is broken into parts/functions. Various ways of achieving each part or function are identified and then (re)combined to create new forms of the product or system.

Videos and Descriptions: http://creativethinktank.wikispaces.com/file/view/GenTool-Morph.pdf

Morphological Matrix pdf en carpeta Creativity Innovation and Change http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCT_03.htm
Attribute Listing, Morphological Analysis and Matrix Analysis Tools for Creating New Products and Services

How could this basic product be changed? iStockphoto/malerapaso

Attribute Listing, Morphological Analysis and Matrix Analysis are good techniques for finding new combinations of products or services. They are sufficiently similar to be discussed together. We use Attribute Listing and Morphological Analysis to generate new products and services. How to Use the Tools: To use the techniques, first list the attributes of the product, service or strategy you are examining. Attributes are parts, properties, qualities or design elements of the thing being looked at. For example, attributes of a pencil would be shaft material, lead material, hardness of lead, width of lead, quality, color, weight, price, and so on. A television plot would have attributes such as characters, actions, locations, and weather. For a marketing strategy you might use attributes of markets open to you, uses of the product, and skills you have available. Draw up a table using these attributes as column headings. Write down as many variations of the attribute as possible within these columns. This might be an exercise that benefits from brainstorming. The table should now show all possible variations of each attribute. Now select one entry from each column. Either do this randomly or select interesting combinations. By mixing one item from each column, you will create a new mixture of components. This is a new product, service or strategy. Finally, evaluate and improve that mixture to see if you can imagine a profitable market for it. Example: Imagine that you want to create a new lamp. The starting point for this might be to carry out a morphological analysis. Properties of a lamp might be power supply, bulb type, light intensity, size, style, finish, material, shade, and so on. You can set these out as column headings on a table, and then brainstorm variations. This table is sometimes known as a "Morphologial Box" or "Zwicky Box" after the scientist Fritz Zwicky, who developed the technique in the 1960s.

Power Supply Bulb Type Light Intensity Size Battery Mains Solar Generator Crank Gas Oil/Petrol Flame Interesting combinations might be: Halogen Bulb Daylight Colored Low Medium High Variable

Style

Finish Black White Metallic

Material Metal Ceramic Concrete

Very Large Modern Large Medium Small Hand held Antique Roman

Art Nouveau Terracotta Bone Industrial Ethnic Enamel Natural Fabric Glass Wood Stone Plastic

Solar powered/battery, medium intensity, daylight bulb possibly used in clothes shops to allow customers to see the true color of clothes. Large hand cranked arc lights used in developing countries, or far from a mains power supply. A ceramic oil lamp in Roman style used in themed restaurants, resurrecting the olive oil lamps of 2000 years ago. A normal table lamp designed to be painted, wallpapered or covered in fabric so that it matches the style of a room perfectly. Some of these might be practical, novel ideas for the lighting manufacturer. Some might not. This is where the manufacturer's experience and market knowledge are important.

Key Points: Morphological Analysis, Matrix Analysis and Attribute Listing are useful techniques for making new combinations of products, services and strategies. You use the tools by identifying the attributes of the product, service or strategy you are examining. Attributes might be components, assemblies, dimensions, color, weight, style, speed of service, skills available, and so on. Use these attributes as column headings. Underneath the column headings list as many variations of that attribute as you can. You can now use the table or "morphological box", by randomly selecting one item from each column, or by selecting interesting combinations of items. This will give you ideas that you can examine for practicality. Notes: Attribute Listing focuses on the attributes of an object, seeing how each attribute could be improved. Morphological Analysis uses the same basic technique, but is used to create a new product by mixing components in a new way. Matrix Analysis focuses on businesses. It is used to generate new approaches, using attributes such as market sectors, customer needs, products, promotional methods, and so on.

- See more at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCT_03.htm#sthash.HuPfHo1Z.dpuf

Brainwriting 6-3-5:
Basic Summary: Brainwriting 6-3-5 is a modified form of classic brainstorming that encourages equal participation from all team members using written rather than verbal idea generation. There are many varieties, but the general process is that all ideas are recorded by the individual who thought of them. They are then passed on to the next person, who uses them as a trigger for their own ideas. Clearly, this is a group technique ... if you don't have a group where you are located, why not use a group of your classmates here in the MOOC? You can "pass ideas to the next person" in a Discussion Forum thread. Videos and Descriptions: http://www.bmgi.com/resources/elearning/brainstorming-techniques
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR1i1PPd8ZU

http://www.mycoted.com/Brainwriting

Brainwriting
A to Z of Creativity Techniques

Previous Technique Brainstorming

Next Technique Browsing BrainWriting is a technique similar to Brainstorming and Trigger Sessions. There are many varieties, but the general process is that all ideas are recorded by the individual who thought of them. They are then passed on to the next person who uses them as a trigger for their own ideas. Examples of this include;

Contents
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1 BrainWriting Pool 2 BrainWriting 6-3-5 3 Idea Card Method 4 BrainWriting Game 5 Constrained BrainWriting 6 Varying the level of constraint

BrainWriting Pool
Each person, using Post-it notes or small cards, writes down ideas, and places them in the centre of the table. Everyone is free to pull out one or more of these ideas for inspiration. Team members can create new ideas, variations or piggyback on existing ideas.

BrainWriting 6-3-5
The name Brainwriting 6-3-5 comes from the process of having 6 people write 3 ideas in 5 minutes. Each person has a blank 6-3-5 worksheet (below) Problem Statement: How to... Idea 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 Idea 2 Idea 3

Everyone writes the problem statement at the top of their worksheet (word for word from an agreed problem definition). They then write 3 ideas on the top row of the worksheet in 5 minutes in a complete and concise sentence (6-10 words). At the end of 5 minutes (or when everyone has finished writing) pass the worksheet to the person on

your right. You then add three more ideas. The process continues until the worksheet is completed. There will now be a total of 108 ideas on the 6 worksheets. These can now be assessed.

Idea Card Method

Each person, using Post-it notes or small cards, writes down ideas, and places them next to the person on his or her right. Each person draws a card from there neighbours pile as needed for inspiration. Once the idea has been used, it is passed on to the person on the right along with any new, variations or piggybacked ideas. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

BrainWriting Game
This method is set in the form of a light-hearted competitive game. Creativity methods normally avoid competition because it tends to be divisive. However, as long as the game atmosphere is fun rather than overly competitive, and the facilitator ensures that there are no significant losers, the game format might be useful, particularly in training contexts where winning and losing are likely to be less of an issue and both can be used to provide teaching material. The game will take a little longer than some other brainwriting techniques. Very little facilitation skill is needed. The structure is as follows: 1. Display the problem statement, and explain that the winner of the game is the one who devises the most unlikely solution. 2. The facilitator sells each group member an agreed number (say 10) of blank, serially numbered cards at, say, 10p each, pooling the money to form the prize. Each group member signs a receipt that records the serial numbers of their set of cards. 3. Members try to think of utterly implausible solutions, writing one per card. The cards are then put up on a display board. 4. Members now have (say) 15 minutes to silently read all the solutions, and to append to them (on further un-numbered cards or Post-its) ways in which they could be converted into a more practical way of solving the problem (so reducing that ideas chances of winning). 5. Each member then has two votes (e.g. two sticky stars) to vote for what s/he now considers to be the most improbable idea on the numbered cards. The idea that attracts most votes wins the pooled money.

6. Form two sub-groups, give half the cards to each, and give each group (say) 15 minutes to develop six viable solutions from their cards. 7. Each sub-group tries to sell their ideas to the other sub-group. 8. Everyone comes together and agrees on the best ideas overall.

Constrained BrainWriting
On a number of occasions you may want to constrained ideas around pre-determined focus, rather than ranging freely. The versions described here use the standard Brainwriting pool technique, but bias the idea generation by using brain-writing sheets prepared in advance. 1. Present starter ideas: The leader initiates the process by placing several prepared sheets of paper in the pool in the centre of the table (see note below). 2. Private brainwriting: Each group member takes a sheet, reads it, and silently adds his or her ideas. 3. Change sheet: When a member runs out of ideas or wants to have the stimulation of anothers ideas, s/he puts one list back in the centre of the table and takes one returned by another member. After reviewing this new list s/he has just selected, s/he adds more ideas. 4. Repeat until ideas are exhausted. No discussion at any stage.

Varying the level of constraint

Cued brainwriting: For mild constraint, the sheets are simply primed with one or more starting ideas (e.g. SWOT's, issues) in the required area. Structured brain-writing: For a stronger constraint the sheets can be formally headed, each sheet relating to a particular issue or theme, with participants being asked to keep the ideas they contribute on each sheet relevant to the issue in the heading on that sheet. See Card Story Boards, for another way of directing idea generation.

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Concept Trees (or Fans):

Basic Summary: A concept tree or concept fan starts with an idea and uses that idea to identify concepts, or connecting points, from which alternative ideas can be derived. This is more of an individual technique, but a group could develop a concept tree together in stages.

Videos and Descriptions: http://www.bmgi.com/resources/elearning/brainstorming-techniques

http://www.toolkitforthinking.com/creative-thinking/concept-fan

Concept Fan

Concept Fan

When trying to think of new ideas and solutions to problems it is very tempting to go with your first ideas. H the best. Edward de Bono developed the 'Concept Fan' technique for taking a step back to get a broader of the subject, what you want to achieve and new ways of solving the problem.

Concept Fan:

1. To start a Concept Fan, draw a circle on a large piece of paper (A3 paper or White Board), just right of trying to solve into it. To the right of it radiate lines representing possible solutions to the problem. As show

2. It may be that the first ideas generated are impractical, unremarkable, or do not really solve the problem

back' for a broader view of the problem. Do this by drawing a circle to the left of the first circle, and write th circle. Link it with an arrow to show that it comes from the first circle as in Figure 2.

3. Use this as the starting point to radiate out new ideas as in Figure 3.

4. If this does not give you the idea you are looking for then repeat the process and take another step bac

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Superheroes:
Basic Summary: Superheroes is a fantasy-based version of Role Storming and is similar to other boundary-stretching techniques such as Exaggeration and Reversals. Participants pretend to be a fictional (or real) super-hero (Superman, the Incredible Hulk, Batman, James Bond, Wonder Woman, Sherlock Holmes, etc.) and use their super characteristics to trigger and

develop ideas. This technique could be applied individually or in a group. Videos and Descriptions: http://www.mycoted.com/SuperHeroes

SuperHeroes
A to Z of Creativity Techniques

Previous Technique SuperGroup

Next Technique Synectics SuperHeroes is really a fantasy-based version of ((RoleStorming)) is similar to other boundary-stretching techniques such as Exaggeration and Reversals and is a form of Excursions. Participants pretend to be a fictional (or real) super-hero (Superman, the Incredible Hulk, Batman, James Bond, Wonder Woman, Sherlock Holmes, Spiderman, etc.) and use their 'super' characteristics to trigger ideas. This technique is good for creating an atmosphere of light-hearted fun in which energy is high and fantasy and metaphor are acceptable. All 'uper-heroes' have skills and capacities that are outside 'normal' behaviour, this means that (a) people tend to think outside of the norm and (b) having a role allows people to express more unusual ideas that they might not normally express. Super-hero stories also have strong elements of wish-fulfilment, and can therefore help people to express wishes It may be less suitable for very 'serious' or introverted groups, or low trust conditions, where RoleStorming would be more suitable. 1. Prepare in advance a set of general information on each superhero. This could include name, special powers, weaknesses, pen picture, background, picture etc. You can also provide props if you have an extrovert group. 2. Display and discuss the problem to ensure everyone understands the issue. It can be useful to use Brainstorming or BrainWriting to list the more obvious ideas.

3. Selects a superhero for each participant (they can choose one themselves, or from your information pack). Get them to think a little about that superhero and talk to them about what life is like as a superhero in order to help them get into the role. 4. The super hero characters are then used as the basis of an excursion, from any viewpoint (see Observer and Merged Viewpoints). More extrovert groups will get into the role (I will heat the chemicals instantly with my laser eyes whilst freezing the container with by breath). More introvert groups will tend to be happier talking in the third person (Superman could heat the chemicals with his laser eyes). 5. Start by getting each super hero to voice a few ideas. 6. Allow other super heroes to trigger off the others ideas. Perhaps if superman and wonder woman worked together they could produce an improved solution. 7. When you have sufficient ideas, evaluate them as usual. Watch a demonstration of this technique by UC Berkeley Students: 1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRAkK86xgh4 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTw8FXj1g1c

PDF Instructions (for Superheroes)