Role on the Wall
Role on the Wall is a technique in which a group draws a large outline of a person, puts it on the wall and fills it in to build a shared picture of a character. Observable facts go around the outside of the figure, and thoughts, feelings and motives go inside. It comes from drama in education, and outside the drama classroom it works for a customer, user or stakeholder.
Facilitation script
- 1
Draw or trace the body outline, fix it to the wall, and explain the rule: outside for what can be seen or known, inside for what the character thinks and feels.
5 min - 2
Agree who the character is and write the name and a one-line context above the figure.
3 min - 3
Outside round. Participants write observable facts on sticky notes and place them around the outline.
8 min - 4
Inside round. Participants add opinions, motives, fears and hopes inside the outline, saying briefly what each note is based on.
10 min - 5
Cluster the notes, mark assumptions that need checking, and discuss what stands out and what it means for the work ahead.
8 min - 6
Agree where the figure stays and when the group will come back to it.
3 min
Tips
Keep the outside and inside phases separate and start with the outside, because agreeing on the visible facts first makes the guesses about inner life more grounded.
When the character stands for real users or stakeholders, mark each note as known or assumed, for example with two colours.
Ask where an inside note comes from: something the person said, something they did, or the group's own projection.
Common pitfalls
Mixing facts and guesses without marking them, so the finished figure looks like knowledge when most of it is assumption
Filling the inside with the team's own preferences, which produces a character who conveniently wants what the team already planned
Building the figure from clichés about a group of people, which hardens stereotypes instead of testing them
Taking the sheet down at the end of the exercise, which loses the benefit of adding to it as understanding grows
Letting one or two people do all the writing at the wall while the rest watch, so the picture is not shared at all
Variations
Small groups can each work on their own figure, either the same character for comparison or different characters from the same situation. A second layer just outside the outline can hold what other people say or think about the character, which shows the gap between reputation and self-image. In a longer session, return to the figure after an interview or a role play and add notes in a new colour to show what changed. Remote: place an outline image on a shared whiteboard and use two note colours for outside and inside.
Where it fits
When to use it
A team talks about 'the customer' or 'the user' and everyone pictures someone different
A group is about to play or interview a character and needs a common brief first
You want a quick, low-threshold way into perspective-taking that needs no template
Knowledge about a stakeholder arrives in pieces over a workshop and should collect in one visible place
A case study or story needs to be analysed through one of the people in it
When not to use it
You need a research-based artefact that will guide product decisions for months. Do Persona Development from interview data
You want to analyse what a user says, does, thinks and feels in one specific situation. An Empathy Map has the structure for that
The figure would represent a real, named person who is present or known to the group. Speculating about a colleague's fears and secrets on a wall is a breach of respect
Nobody in the group has met the kind of person being drawn. Run a User Interview first, otherwise the figure collects stereotypes
The question is about many stakeholders and their relations. Use a Stakeholder Map
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Role on the Wall?▾
Role on the Wall is a group technique for exploring a character. An outline of a person is drawn on a large sheet and fixed to the wall. The group writes outward, observable facts around the figure and thoughts, feelings and motives inside it.
Where does Role on the Wall come from?▾
It is a convention from drama in education, where classes use it to develop a character before or during a piece of drama work. Facilitators have borrowed it for workshops because the mechanic is simple and needs only paper and pens.
What is the difference between Role on the Wall and an Empathy Map?▾
Both build understanding of a person. An Empathy Map uses fixed sections for one situation. Role on the Wall has only two zones, outside and inside, which makes it faster and more open, and it is designed to stay on the wall and grow over time.
How long does Role on the Wall take?▾
A first version takes 30 to 45 minutes including the discussion. Later additions take only a few minutes each, for example after an interview or a role play.
Can Role on the Wall be used for real customers or stakeholders?▾
Yes, for a type of person such as a first-time customer or a line manager affected by a change. Mark which notes come from evidence and which are assumptions, and avoid using it for a real individual known to the group.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Drama-in-education convention; described by David Farmer, Drama Resource.