UX
Role Play
A practical UX method for simulating interactions from multiple viewpoints so teams can uncover communication gaps, behavioural friction, and flow issues early.
How to use role play to test interactions and decision-making, explore different perspectives, and improve service and product flows before implementation.
Quick take
If you want to understand how an interaction actually feels, act it out from different perspectives.
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What it is
Role play is a UX method where participants act out scenarios by taking on different roles, such as user, customer support, or glossarySystemA system is a collection of interconnected components that work together to achieve a specific function or outcome.Open glossary term.
It is used to explore glossaryInteractionInteraction refers to any action a user takes within a product and how the system responds. It includes clicks, taps, gestures, and inputs that drive the user experience.Open glossary term, glossaryBehaviourBehaviour refers to how users interact with a system, including actions, patterns, and responses.Open glossary term, and glossaryPrioritisationPrioritisation is the process of ranking tasks, features, or initiatives based on their importance, impact, and effort.Open glossary term in a safe, simulated environment.
Unlike guideBodystormingActing out scenarios in context to uncover real-world behaviours, constraints, and interaction issues before building.Open guide, which focuses on physical glossaryContextThe surrounding conditions that shape behaviour and decisions.Open glossary term, role play focuses more on glossaryInteractionInteraction refers to any action a user takes within a product and how the system responds. It includes clicks, taps, gestures, and inputs that drive the user experience.Open glossary term, conversations, and responses.
Participants step into different viewpoints to better understand needs, expectations, and potential issues.
The goal is to uncover gaps, improve glossaryInteractionInteraction refers to any action a user takes within a product and how the system responds. It includes clicks, taps, gestures, and inputs that drive the user experience.Open glossary term, and design more realistic experiences.
Role play is most useful when the quality of an experience depends on how people communicate and respond to each other in the moment.
When to use it
Use this method when glossaryInteractionInteraction refers to any action a user takes within a product and how the system responds. It includes clicks, taps, gestures, and inputs that drive the user experience.Open glossary term and glossaryBehaviourBehaviour refers to how users interact with a system, including actions, patterns, and responses.Open glossary term matter.
It is most useful when:
It is less useful when:
Role play is often used in workshops and early design phases.
Key takeaway
Use role play when better design depends on understanding how people behave and communicate across roles, not just how a screen behaves.
How to run it
Set up properly.
Before you start, be clear on the scenario you are exploring, the roles involved, and the outcome you want to understand.
Keep the scenario focused and realistic.
Run the method.
Role play is interactive and scenario-driven.
Assign roles to participants. Describe the situation and glossaryContextThe surrounding conditions that shape behaviour and decisions.Open glossary term. Act out the glossaryInteractionInteraction refers to any action a user takes within a product and how the system responds. It includes clicks, taps, gestures, and inputs that drive the user experience.Open glossary term step by step. Allow natural glossaryResponseA response is the data or result returned by a server after receiving a request.Open glossary term and decisions. Observe how the scenario unfolds.
Encourage realism over glossaryPerformancePerformance refers to how quickly and efficiently a system responds to user actions and processes tasks.Open glossary term.
Capture and make sense of it.
The value comes from perspective and glossaryBehaviourBehaviour refers to how users interact with a system, including actions, patterns, and responses.Open glossary term.
After the glossarySessionA session is a single period of user interaction with a product, from entry to exit within a defined timeframe.Open glossary term: review what happened, identify glossaryFrictionFriction refers to anything that slows users down or makes it harder for them to complete a task. It can be caused by poor design, unnecessary steps, unclear messaging, or technical issues.Open glossary term or confusion, highlight communication gaps, and refine glossaryDelightMoments that exceed user expectations.Open glossary term or interactions.
Use this to improve the experience.
What to look for
Focus on:
Where it goes wrong
Most issues come from:
If it feels forced, it won’t reflect reality.
What you get from it
Done properly, this method gives you:
Key takeaway
It helps you design interactions that actually work.
Get in touch
If this sounds like something you need, we can help you run role play glossarySessionA session is a single period of user interaction with a product, from entry to exit within a defined timeframe.Open glossary term that uncover gaps and improve how your product or glossaryServiceA service is a component or function that performs a specific task within a system.Open glossary term actually works.
No guesswork. No assumptions. Just realistic, glossaryInteractionInteraction refers to any action a user takes within a product and how the system responds. It includes clicks, taps, gestures, and inputs that drive the user experience.Open glossary term-focused design.
FAQ
Common questions
A few practical answers to the questions that usually come up around this method.
What is role play in UX?
It is a method where participants act out scenarios from different perspectives.
When should you use role play?
Use it when designing glossaryInteractionInteraction refers to any action a user takes within a product and how the system responds. It includes clicks, taps, gestures, and inputs that drive the user experience.Open glossary term or glossaryServiceA service is a component or function that performs a specific task within a system.Open glossary term.
How is it different from bodystorming?
Role play focuses on glossaryInteractionInteraction refers to any action a user takes within a product and how the system responds. It includes clicks, taps, gestures, and inputs that drive the user experience.Open glossary term and communication, not physical glossaryContextThe surrounding conditions that shape behaviour and decisions.Open glossary term.
Who should take part?
Designers, glossaryStakeholderA stakeholder is any individual or group with an interest in a product, project, or outcome, including internal teams and external parties.Open glossary term, and sometimes users.
Does role play improve UX?
Yes. It reveals issues in glossaryInteractionInteraction refers to any action a user takes within a product and how the system responds. It includes clicks, taps, gestures, and inputs that drive the user experience.Open glossary term and glossaryPrioritisationPrioritisation is the process of ranking tasks, features, or initiatives based on their importance, impact, and effort.Open glossary term.