The Influence Map
I have been using stakeholder maps in an independent project of mine, and discovered that there are many other ways of interpreting them. A traditional stakeholder map identifies a service’s stakeholders, which effect the service both directly and indirectly. However, the current model seems to fall short, because it does not identify what part each stakeholder has. For example - is a service affecting a stakeholder, or being effected by one? Let’s take my independent project, for example. I have found that identifying effect/affect is very helpful when working with digital services. I am working on redesigning the user experience of the parking process, using apps like Parker. In this case, we will assume that the user of a parking application is driving, and therefore, being affected by traffic. As we all know, being affected by traffic is often a negative experience.Now, with the help of a parking app, the user can quickly find a parking spot. This indirectly frees up the flow of traffic.So, ultimately, the user is being affected by traffic. The app is effecting traffic. And the app is also being affected by traffic. This forms a bit of a symbiotic relationship. But, once we understand how a service is being influenced by different factions, then we can begin to more effectively discover pain points in a service offering.
I like to call this an influence map, just a different way of identifying stakeholders and more appropriately outlining their specific roles in a service.