scamper_skill

Overview

This skill applies the SCAMPER creative-thinking method to develop, adapt, and expand ideas quickly. It generates focused prompts and concrete idea variants for hackathon concepts, frameworks, or when you say "SCAMPER this" or report being stuck. Outputs are practical, copy-ready entries that can be appended to your ideas inbox or notes.

How this skill works

On command it inspects the target idea, product, or problem and runs the SCAMPER lenses (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other uses, Eliminate, Reverse). Modes include Quick SCAMPER (2–3 lenses), Full SCAMPER (all 7 lenses), and Targeted SCAMPER (user-specified lenses). For hackathons it filters for demo-feasible concepts and highlights the strongest angle.

When to use it

• When you say “SCAMPER this” to expand a saved idea
• When you’re stuck and need fresh angles or unblockers
• To generate 24-hour hackathon concepts from an existing tool
• When adapting a framework to a new industry or role
• When processing new entries in the ideas inbox

Best practices

• Start with a one-sentence problem or product description to focus results
• Use Quick SCAMPER for fast iterations and Full SCAMPER for deep exploration
• Specify lenses when you want a particular angle (e.g., Reverse for unblocking)
• For hackathon outputs, ask for feasibility filtering and a prioritized top-3 list
• Append SCAMPER output directly to the idea entry to keep context and iteration history

Example use cases

• Turn a saved note about a note-taking app into three demo-ready hackathon ideas using Full SCAMPER
• Unblock product roadmap planning by running Reverse and Eliminate on a stalled feature
• Adapt a sales framework to a new vertical using Substitute and Combine lenses
• When an incoming idea lands in the inbox, run Quick SCAMPER and attach the strongest three angles to the note
• Generate mash-up product concepts by combining two existing tools and identifying a minimum viable demo