Role Playing
What is it?
Role playing is a method of testing ideas to help people imagine how something would function if it happened in real life. It's a way to put yourself in someone else's shoes and think about how they would experience something.
Why and when should I use this?
By setting the mindset that your experience is being brought to life, you can ask: what works well? What doesn't? What's missing? By imagining they are a person going through or delivering an experience, it can help people to be critical, empathise with the roles they are playing and spot gaps.
How much time should I spend on this?
25 minutes. Spend 10 minutes setting the scene and 15 running the role play. You don't need to spend long setting up, it should be an indication of what happens in reality. Use your imagination!
Who should I involve in this?
The team you are working with.
How to use it...
- Decide what to role play: Choose with your team what component of your design you want to role play and why. Narrowing your focus to one component, for example what happens when a customer signs up for a membership in person, will help you prototype the specific details.
- Use what you have: Start with what you have around you to set the scene. Use pieces of furniture, name tags, tape, and cardboard.
- Pick your personas: Get some team members to pick a role to play in the scenario based on personas that you have developed. Ask one or two team members to observe to view the role playing from an outside perspective.
- Get into character: Act out the scenario several times with your team, making changes to how you approach it and who is involved to understand how it works from different angles.
- Explore and refine: Discuss each person's insights. What didn't work? What has potential? Where are the opportunities? Use these insights to refine the details of your idea.