The Utility of Role-Playing Methods in Design Ideation

Candidate: Melahat Hosseini
Type: Master of Applied Science, Interactive Art (MASc-IA) School of Interactive Arts and Technology
Date: December 18, 2008
Senior Supervisor: Ron Wakkary
Thesis: Download Thesis Document

Abstract

Role-playing methods have been widely used as tools to assist design ideation in research literature.  However, there has been little research done to assess their utility and compare them to more traditional ideation methods.  this research aims to evaluate the utility of role-playing methods by comparing the outcome scenarios of four role-playing ideation sessions with users to the outcome scenarious of two non-role-playing sessions with users.  The findings show that role-playing sessions are more generative of use-situations that non-role-playing session.  Also, role-playing scenarios, overall, contained more allusions to communications between actors, more physical activities, more physical interactions with other people and objects, and more explicity description of spatial movements than non-role-playing scenarios.  The research findings confirm the utility of role-playing methods as effective tools for design ideation with users.  Additionally, the research points to methodological aspects that can potentially improve the results from the conducting of role-plaing sessions.