When you're deep in a design sprint or refining flows that just aren’t quite working, it’s easy to hit a wall. That’s where structured ideation tools like SCAMPER come in — not as a creativity crutch, but as a lens to look at problems from new angles.

I recently used SCAMPER while redesigning an EV charging platform, and it helped transform vague feedback into specific, actionable UI and UX changes. Whether you're working solo or with a team, it’s a great way to keep solutions user-centred and creative.

🧠 What is SCAMPER?

SCAMPER is an acronym that represents a set of idea prompts:

• Substitute

• Combine

• Adapt

• Modify (or Magnify/Minify)

• Put to another use

• Eliminate

• Rearrange

Each prompt pushes you to think: What if I changed this? What if I used it differently?

🛠️ How I Used SCAMPER in My UX Process

The Project:

I was designing the host-side experience of an EV charging app. From user interviews and research, I identified several pain points:

• Hosts didn’t know where to go to approve a booking

• They weren’t confident about preparing their charger space

• There was no clear post-session feedback or payout tracking

Enter: SCAMPER.

🔄 Applying SCAMPER in UX — Real Examples

✅ Substitute

What can I swap out?
→ Substituted a generic home screen (that mirrored the guest view) with a host-specific dashboard, tailored to bookings, earnings, and session management — addressing the confusion around where hosts should go to take action.

✅ Combine

What if I brought two things together?
→ Combined a pre-session checklist with welcome message capabilities, so hosts felt confident and guided after approving a session.

✅ Adapt

What can I borrow from other platforms?
→ Adapted the concept of a dual-mode interface from apps like Airbnb and Uber — by designing a separate dashboard just for hosts, rather than trying to make one shared layout work for both guests and hosts.

✅ Modify

What can I change in size, shape, or design?
→ Modified the booking approval flow to feel more direct and intentional — turning what might have been a passive list of notifications into an active, full-width card with clear guest info and a decisive approval CTA.

✅ Put to Another Use

What else can this do?
→ Let hosts convert session earnings into Ivygo credit — originally a simple payout feature, now repurposed to encourage them to book chargers as guests too, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem.

✅ Eliminate

What can I remove to simplify things?
→ Eliminated redundant navigation layers by removing the need for hosts to open multiple tabs or hunt through menus to approve bookings. The action is now immediate and intuitive — no extra steps or buried screens.

✅ Rearrange

What if I change the order or layout?
→ Repositioned the “Approve Booking” button to the top of the dashboard and visually prioritised it over less urgent actions, so it becomes the natural first interaction — without removing any functionality.

✨ Why SCAMPER Works in UX

SCAMPER is more than a brainstorming method — it’s a structured creativity tool that keeps you grounded in user needs while pushing you to consider new perspectives. It helps break assumptions and generate ideas that are:

• Low-fidelity friendly

• Easily prioritised

• Highly iterative

It’s especially useful when paired with tools like journey maps, personas, and real user feedback — helping you go from insight to idea with intention.

🧩 Final Thoughts

Whether you’re redesigning a single screen or rethinking a full experience, SCAMPER is a practical tool that doesn’t require a big team or fancy workshop. Just sticky notes, a bit of structure, and your research at hand.

Next time you’re stuck? SCAMPER it. ✍️