What it is for:Service role play is a quick way to test a service idea by acting it out. You walk away with a list of specific breakdowns in the service, a set of tested fixes, and a clearer picture of what each role needs in order to help the customer.
Who it helps:Teams designing counter, phone or home-visit services, and front-line staff who want to shape the design with their own experience.
When to use it
You are designing a new counter, phone or home-visit service and want to check the flow before training staff.
A service involves handovers between people or teams.
You want front-line employees to shape the design with their own experience.
How to use it
Write one realistic scenario with a complication, such as a missing document.
Give each actor a role card saying what that role knows and may do.
Set up the room roughly like the real place and brief the observers.
Run the scenario once without interruption, then debrief where people felt stuck.
Change one thing, replay it, and record which fixes worked.
Tip:Swap roles between runs. People learn the most when they play the side they do not usually see.
Credits and sources:Original Tiremesù worksheet and wording. Further reading: IDEO.org Design Kit https://www.designkit.org/methods.html
Full guide and film:https://www.tiremesu.com/guides/role-play
