“Our competitors aren't taking our market share with devices, they're taking our market share with an entire ecosystem” - Stephen Elop, Former CEO-Nokia
Ecosystems are like theatres, custom-made for customers. In service design, it is critical how various actors come together to “build a theatre” where service plays out.
There are actors who collectively create the customer experience by showcasing the practices that they perform, sharing the information that they require, informing about the services, interacting with various actors involved and finally projecting the same. Ecosystem maps, therefore, show your service as a system and how the entire system is connected. One can say they are like personas in terms of value and how they represent service as a “living entity”. Designers must not conclude that ecosystem maps are not only for customers. When you map out all the actors, information, ancillaries and other components ok together it also creates a scope for improvement for businesses. There could be flowing information between companies and clients to track and constantly develop.
Design is a complete process that requires applications, and stakeholders and also leads to conflicting priorities. Therefore, as designers 9/10 times what comes in handy is the ecosystem map. Now let us understand some of the basics of the ecosystem. It includes users, practices they perform, the information they use and share, the people they interact with, the services available to them, the devices they use and the channels used to communicate.
Some of the pain points of an ecosystem map are who, what, when, where and how. It is a method used for analysis and enquiry that highlights the problems and opportunities that a business might encounter. Designers who practice ecosystem thinking evaluate user behaviour a the beginning and various inflexion points.
What does ecosystem mapping do for us? The absolute best way to get information about the client and to get clarity about the business plan is by collaborating on an ecosystem map. It gives us a bigger picture. It helps us identify important details like anticipating problems, uncovering important details, clarify our understanding to avoid any wrong assumptions. A good ecosystem map gives you the basics, o create context and user personas.
What it may look like -
A closer observation of this image will give us clarity about the following:
The steps
Understand the user and their goals
Map activities that users conduct in service
Mapping the information that users employ in service
Mapping the moments in which they perform
Narrowing down the discrete set of moments
Creating a map
Like all user-centred design also begins with research, interviews, observations, questionnaires, and analysis of the goals. This holistic process helps a designer get a bigger picture and clarity that verbal conversations and planning might miss out on.
It is understood that ecosystem mapping adds a whole new dimension to designing and is extremely valuable when working with clients. Overall the best ecosystem maps will show you the nuances around service and customers' expectations.
However, no technique or practice is free from criticism. Many have argued that the accuracy of these maps is not verified. The quantitative comparison of ecosystem maps provides very little scope for qualitative validation. It is also important to know that there is no system that monitors the data used in ecosystem mappings. There is also very little discussion about the errors in the maps and in the inconsistencies related to mapping approaches. Nonetheless, design is a process that is complex and requires multiple-step approaches to develop a service that suits clients and custo
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