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Role Playing

Create a version of your concept or solution quickly.

Role playing is a type of prototype that is easy to make and can help you get your solution in front of the people you’re designing for quickly. You and your team will make a scene and act out your solution, with each person playing a person or touchpoint in the experience. Use Role Playing to quickly find areas to improve your solution. This is best used for experiential solutions.

3-4 people
60 minutes

What you’ll need

  • Pens or markers
  • A solution
  • Paper
  • Props as needed

Prerequisite Activities

Downloadable Materials

Instructions

step 1

Assign roles

Provide each participant with a paper. Decide on your own roles specific to the prototype you are exploring. Ensure each group member understands their role.

Consider:

  • Who will interact with this prototype directly?
  • Who will be affected indirectly?
  • Who will affect the success of this idea?

On the paper, write down the role, location, goal to accomplish, and back story details.

Aim to complete this statement:

You are ______(role)______.
Who has come to the ______(location)________.
In order to do ______(a goal to accomplish)_______.

step 2

Create a script

Create a script that your team will follow during the role play activity. Think about the necessary steps your prototype may need in order to understand how it works from beginning to end. Use props if they help your team members get into character.

Consider:

  • What is important to the role?
  • How will the role act in this situation?
  • What will their interactions look like?
  • Do they need anything (any physical object or information) to play their role.

For example, if a motorcycle customer using a new artificial intelligence headset built into a helmet, you may want to think about how it interacts with their friends or provides customer service.

step 3

Act it out

Act out the scene two to three times, allowing team members to try different roles.

step 4

Reflect on your role play

Ask your team members to express their thoughts and feelings and record interesting observations, learnings, or actions that can be reflected in future iterations of your prototype.