Emily Tulloh, CC-BY 2.0
The role-playing method is used to evaluate an existing design or a design concept represented as a prototype. It is based on role-playing in theatre, where actors take on the role of a particular character and subsequently act out scenes. In a design context, the actors can be members of the design team, the extended project team, prospective users, other stakeholders or even trained theatre actors. They are asked to step into the shoes of a character and to act out scenes from that character’s point of view, which involve interactions with the existing design or prototype.
Continued on pages 132–133 of Design. Think. Make. Break. Repeat.