To stimulate innovative thinking and collaborative problem-solving by immersing participants in diverse stakeholder roles.

The tool helps uncover hidden assumptions, generate fresh ideas, and build empathy—especially useful in early-stage innovation, co-creation workshops, or when a project feels stuck.

Participants are assigned fictional or real roles (e.g. farmer, advisor, entrepreneur, policymaker, consumer, activist) and given a challenge scenario (e.g. “How to reduce nitrogen use in a dairy system?”). Each role comes with a set of values, constraints, and motivations. Through structured dialogue and negotiation, participants explore the challenge from multiple angles and co-create potential solutions.

This tool is designed to:

• Break habitual thinking patterns
• Reveal system-level dynamics
• Encourage inclusive innovation
• Support ideation and early-stage development

Tips:

• Too many roles or complex rules can confuse participants. Keep it simple and focused.
• If the scenario feels too abstract or irrelevant, participants may disengage. Ground it in real, relatable challenges.
• Without a strong facilitator, discussions may drift or become dominated by a few voices. Assign a moderator to guide the flow.
• Be mindful of real-world hierarchies. Some participants may feel uncomfortable “playing” a role that challenges their own position.
• The learning happens in the reflection. Without it, the roleplay risks being just a fun exercise with no impact.
• Use the outcomes to feed into idea generation, stakeholder mapping, or project design.
• Consider integrating with other ISS tools like the Empathy Mapping or Value Proposition Canvas.

• Role cards (customizable by theme or region)
• Scenario cards (real-world challenges or fictional dilemmas)
• Dialogue prompts (e.g. “What would your role propose?”)
• Innovation canvas or flipchart
• Reflection sheet (individual and group level)