How-to guide
An ecosystem map shows who helps a service work and what moves between them. Pick one service outcome, name the actors and exchanges around it, and keep a source beside any important link. Then make a free editable diagram. The result is a draft for discussion, not a complete account of the system.
Workspace
Begin with one service decision and a blank evidence worksheet. Record a couple of possible links, mark whether each is unknown, reported or confirmed, then draw only the actors relevant to that boundary.
Step 1 of 2 · Free worksheet
Start blank. A reported relationship is not a confirmed one. These notes stay in unencrypted storage in this browser unless you clear them; downloads may reveal your entries. Avoid private client data.
Record links you may draw later. The diagram below does not automatically import or verify these rows.
Up to 20 links. CSV is spreadsheet-compatible, not a native XLSX file.
Add actors, then name the exchange between them. The example is a starting structure.
Enter 2–10 options or actors. AI organizes them into a relationship map. Suggestions and scores are unverified hypotheses. The manual editor on this page is free.
Names and notes are sent to the configured AI provider. Do not enter confidential information or personal names.
Method
Name the decision, central outcome and service boundary so colleagues can challenge what belongs on the map.
List actors and touchpoints, including links between other organizations. Label what is exchanged rather than drawing unexplained lines.
Record a source and checked date for important links, ask who can confirm assumptions, then revise and export the diagram.
Illustrative only: for a referral service, a team could map who sends the referral, who accepts it, what information travels, and who confirms completion. Replace these roles with verified participants in your own system.
Make the first draft useful
A list of logos hides motivation, resources and capability. Group actors by the role they play for this service outcome, and name the reason each belongs within your boundary.
Danish Design Center: Ecosystem Mapping“Connected to” is hard to test. Use a specific exchange such as a referral, approval, payment or information flow. Include links between two other actors even when your organization is not involved; those can be material dependencies.
Danish Design Center: Value System MappingMark what you do not know and ask a person close to that handoff to check it. Review the diagram with perspectives missing from the first workshop. A polished SVG is a conversation aid, not validation of every relationship.
GSMA: highlight gaps for researchChoose by the question
| Map type | Choose it when… | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Service ecosystem map | You need to understand actors, exchanges and dependencies around one service outcome. | GSMA actor-and-flow method |
| Experience or journey map | You need to follow what users do, think and feel over time. | GOV.UK experience-map guidance |
| Power-interest stakeholder grid | You need to plan engagement by influence and concern, rather than map exchanges. | UK Analysis Function method |
| Ecological or geographic map | You need habitat, land-cover or other GIS data; this service-design editor is not that tool. | NatureServe ecological mapping |
Common question
Record who reported the exchange, a source or interview note, its checked date, and whether someone involved confirmed it. A missing line is a question to investigate, not proof that no relationship exists.
Already know the actors? Open the direct ecosystem map makerKeep exploring
Build a service ecosystem map by adding actors and labeling their exchanges. Review what is missing, then download an SVG draft from the free workspace.
Visualize organizations and relationships in a business network, with an editable diagram.
Draw a small relationship map for one account or initiative. Label actors and ties, note evidence, and export an SVG or CSV draft. Manual; no CRM sync.
Download a blank ecosystem map as SVG or CSV. Define your project focus, add actors and label value exchanges in a free browser editor.