Role Play V1 - Pedestrian

Role playing is a useful method for really understanding what the everyday user of my potential solution will experience on a day-to-day (night-to-night??) basis and gaining some empathy and consideration for their situation.

I used the night of my Observation to double as a role play experience. I drove my car to "Selwyn Road" near Epsom, and walked to Dominion Road at 6pm as if I were dining out on a Saturday night. I planned to walk back to my vehicle after my Observations were complete which ended up being 11pm.

My goal was to hone in on the "vulnerability and security" theme that cropped up in the AT experts dialogue and in my previous observations. I wanted to see how light, other pedestrians, and vehicles affected my emotions and behaviour - therefore I ventured alone into the main hotspots, crime scenes and side streets I had knowledge of.

My findings helped answer my queries about why few people travel here at night - because its scary! The experience will help me moving forward with further observations and contact with stakeholders in my research, also helping to link with my personas and empathy related methods.

Critical findings from my Role Play are as follows:

-Dramatic contrast of mood walking at 6pm vs 11pm (light vs dark), sunlight and children playing on the street was replaced by pitch darkness and fear of the unknown "happiness sucked out of the area"

-Sense of anxiety walking down neighbouring side streets without knowing who may be present, especially when lost due to poor bearings in darkness

-Cultural discrimination by other minority pedestrians (asian, polynesian) "what are you doing here"

-Sense of relief walking through large groups and when reaching large area of light, except in McDonalds carpark which bordered onto dark streets

-Felt like a "sitting duck" resting in a few bus shelters - wanted to run

-Prescence of passing vehicles did not reduce uneasiness, felt like they couldn't see me "invisible in the dark"