User Enactment

A research method in which participants explore emerging or future technologies through simulated scenarios using physical enactment stages (mockup environments). User enactment combines brainstorming, where participants speak aloud their thoughts and decisions, with bodystorming, where they physically act out interactions with the technology. This method is particularly valuable for accessibility research because it allows people with disabilities and older adults to provide input on technologies they have no prior experience with — such as autonomous vehicles — before inaccessible design patterns become entrenched. Enactment stages can range from low-fidelity setups (tape outlines and chairs) to high-fidelity constructions that replicate the physical dimensions and features of the target technology.