bodystorming

Bodystorming is a participatory design method in which team members physically enact scenarios to explore how users would interact with a product, service, or environment. By moving through tasks and validating touchpoints in real time, participants generate ideas, surface pain points, and build empathy with users.

The technique emerged from design thinking and is widely associated with IDEO and design educators such as those at the Stanford d.school. It complements traditional brainstorming and rapid prototyping by focusing on embodied interaction rather than purely verbal ideas.

A typical bodystorming session proceeds by selecting a user task, constructing a simple set of props or a mock environment, assigning roles (user, system, context), and then acting out the sequence. Observers note problems, moments of friction, and opportunities, after which the team discusses findings and sketches or builds quick solutions. Iterations may vary the scenario, add new actors, or replace tools.

Benefits include heightened empathy, discovery of hidden workflow issues, and the rapid generation of concrete ideas. Limitations include the need for space and a skilled facilitator, potential for overdramatization or misrepresentation of user behavior, and the method's varying applicability depending on the domain.

Bodystorming is often used in service design, user experience, and product design, and is related to role-playing, experiential prototyping, and scenario testing.