When you strive to put people at the center of every new idea, it’s worth asking questions like: Who is involved? What do they care about? How much influence do they have? Answering these questions helps ensure that the people served by your design will be thoughtfully considered throughout the design effort. If you are able to step back and see an entire landscape of people, you may discover design opportunities previously obscured by a limited perception of your potential impact. Seeing the system as a whole can serve to reorient your team’s approach or even lead to a redefinition of the problem.

The balance of any ecosystem is defined by the interrelationships of its parts. Each individual unit, whether key or peripheral, plays a role in how the system works. As a visualization of people’s relationships, interactions, and needs, a Stakeholder Map helps you understand the extent and impact of your design decisions.

• Focuses on people above other factors.
• Guides your plans for future research.
• Documents your research findings.
• Builds a shared understanding.

• Identify a subject area to focus on.
• Convene a diverse team of collaborators.
• Generate a very broad list of stakeholders.
• Draw a symbol of a person for each different type.
• Write a speech-bubble to summarize their mindset.
• Write a label describing their role or title.
• Draw lines with arrows connecting the stakeholders.
• Write a label on the line to describe relationships.
• Circle and label related groupings.

• Try to include a very broad range of stakeholders.
• Strike a balance between breadth and relevance.
• Don’t represent groups of people in one symbol.