The Ecosystem Mapping Canvas
Who’s Here, Who’s Missing, and Who’s Impacted
When teams talk about “community,” it often means whoever showed up: early adopters, vocal users, maybe a few advisors. But if you’re serious about designing for impact, you have to look past the people already in the room.
The ones who matter most are often the ones least likely to participate: the people with no extra time, the ones skeptical of new solutions, the ones who stand to lose the most if you get it wrong.
That’s why mapping your ecosystem – who’s here, who’s missing, and who’s impacted- is essential.
Three Layers to Map
Layer 1: Who benefits from the status quo? If your idea works, someone’s influence shrinks. Don’t ignore them. They will resist, sometimes even inside your own “engagement” efforts.
Layer 2: Who pays the cost of change? Even positive change creates friction. Maybe frontline staff get stuck with more admin, maybe someone loses the shortcuts they’ve relied on, maybe a partner ends up carrying extra weight. They’re not opponents, but if you don’t account for their reality, the work will stall.
Layer 3: Who’s absent but affected? The people you hear from loudest usually aren’t the ones with the most at stake. Who doesn’t have time to fill out your survey? Who doesn’t trust your invite enough to say yes? Who would benefit most if you get it right, but isn’t even in the room?
Beyond Feedback: Designing for Real Power
Accountability isn’t about running better surveys. It’s about giving people actual influence. That can look like:
- Traditional rights holders and other stakeholders with veto power over certain choices, not just “input.”
- Transparent processes for resolving conflicts when needs collide.
- Exit rights: a way for people to walk if the product drifts off course.
- Resource sharing: making sure your wins cycle back into the communities you depend on.
The Integration Problem
Here’s the tension: what your loudest customers or users want can sometimes hurt the people you don’t hear from. Or the partnership that speeds up progress can also chip away at the very values you started with.
That’s why you need clear protocols. Things like; Who breaks ties? How do you decide which voices carry more weight? What happens when moving fast points in the opposite direction of doing right by people?
Most teams wait until crisis to face these questions. Smarter teams design for them up front.
A Practical Framework
Step 1: Map the Ecosystem
- Who wins if nothing changes?
- Who ends up carrying extra cost or work if your idea lands?
- Who’s directly affected but nowhere near your current loop?
Step 2: Design for Power Transfer
- Hand over veto power on at least one real decision.
- Make your conflict-resolution process visible and fair.
- Build exits so people can walk if you drift off course.
- Share wins: commit money, access, or visibility back into the communities you draw from.
Step 3: Build Integration Protocols
- Decide now: who breaks ties when voices clash?
- Set clear rules for how different inputs get weighed.
- Schedule reviews where the map actually reshapes your priorities.
- Close the loop: show people how their input changed what you built or delivered.
The goal isn’t perfect representation. The point isn’t perfect representation. It’s accountability to the people who are usually left out, designed from the start.
That’s how you build products or services that serve the whole ecosystem, not just whoever shows up loudest.
Editor’s Note: This piece was drafted in March, 2025 and added here as part of my archives.