Ecosystem map
A map of all the people, organizations and systems involved in a service and what they exchange: information, money, products or trust.
What it’s for
It helps you see the whole system, since hardly any service depends on a single organization: it shows who each moment depends on and where it can fail.
Key elements
The person at the center
Everything is arranged around whoever uses the service.
All the actors
Including suppliers, regulators, family members and other platforms.
What flows
Each relationship has an arrow showing what is exchanged.
How it’s done
List the actors: people, organizations and systems.
Place them closer to the center the more direct the relationship.
Draw with arrows what goes from one to another.
Applications in design
When to use it
At the start of a service project, to decide who needs to be involved.
Avoid
Drawing only your organization: the service also depends on others.
Don’t fall for it
Review it with the people who work in the service: actors nobody had included always turn up.
Connections
Builds on
Authors and works
- 2016
Stephen L. Vargo and Robert F. Lusch
Defined the service ecosystem as a system of actors who integrate resources and create value together.
- 2018
Marc Stickdorn et al.
Included ecosystem maps among the tools of service design.
Sources
Original sources
- Stickdorn, M., Hormess, M. E., Lawrence, A., & Schneider, J. (2018). This is service design doing: Applying service design thinking in the real world. O'Reilly Media.
Academic reviews
- Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2016). Institutions and axioms: An extension and update of service-dominant logic. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 44, 5–23. View source: Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2016)
Last reviewed: