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Year 10

Generating design ideas using SCAMPER

I can use different sources of inspiration when generating ideas.

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New
New
Year 10

Generating design ideas using SCAMPER

I can use different sources of inspiration when generating ideas.

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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Designers use inspiration from different sources to inform designs.
  2. Designers use SCAMPER to generate design ideas.

Keywords

  • Inspiration - someone or something that gives you ideas

  • Stimulus/stimuli - (singular/plural) something that encourages activity or change

  • Biomorphism - an aesthetic style that imitates nature's beauty

  • SCAMPER - an acronym that stands for: substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to another use, eliminate and reverse. It is a creative thinking tool that helps generate new ideas

Common misconception

Using sources of inspiration when designing is copying.

When using sources of inspiration, they are usually not solutions or similar products but instead any image or product that inspires a spark of creativity.


To help you plan your year 10 design and technology lesson on: Generating design ideas using SCAMPER, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Set homework prior to the lesson for students to bring in their own imagery or sources of inspiration. You may also wish to have a collection of images or items available on desks.
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equipment-required

Equipment

Pencils, rubbers, paper and crayons (optional)

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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4 Questions

Q1.
What is meant by the term 'revolutionary design'?
changes to existing ideas
Correct answer: entirely original design ideas
Q2.
Is the cat's eye an example of a revolutionary or evolutionary product?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: revolutionary
evolutionary
Q3.
What is morphology?
a process of improving a product's functionality through user feedback
a technique for selecting the most cost-effective materials for a product
Correct answer: a method of generating multiple design ideas
Q4.
Which aspects could be included in a morphology table?
cost
ergonomics
Correct answer: style
Correct answer: colour
Q2 By ELIOT2000 - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6438636

6 Questions

Q1.
What is a stimulus/stimuli?
a rigid framework that limits creativity during the design process
a finished product used to inspire future designs
Correct answer: an element or factor that triggers a response or inspires creativity
Q2.
Put the below steps of how to use a stimulus when designing into the correct order.
1 - Find a stimulus that inspires you.
2 - Sketch/copy the part of the stimulus that inspired you.
3 - Adapt that shape or pattern into a rough idea.
Q3.
The Juicy Salif was inspired by the shape of a squid. What is this an example of?
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: biomorphism, bio morphism
Q4.
Which could be an example of a stimulus when designing?
Correct answer: a famous building in the style of Art Deco
a set of anthropometric measurements
a table of costs connected to the making of the product
Q5.
What is the purpose of SCAMPER?
to learn how to build things step by step using instructions
Correct answer: to help come up with creative ideas by changing and improving things
to organise your tasks and manage your time better
Q6.
Match the words from SCAMPER with their meanings.
Correct Answer:substitute,swap one thing for another to make it better or different
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swap one thing for another to make it better or different

Correct Answer:adapt,change your idea to make it work in a new way or place
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change your idea to make it work in a new way or place

Correct Answer:put to another use,use your idea for something completely different
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use your idea for something completely different

Correct Answer:eliminate,remove parts that aren’t necessary to make it simpler
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remove parts that aren’t necessary to make it simpler