Building a better mousetrap does guarantee success anymore. Products and services are increasingly interconnected. Ecosystems are the new competitive advantage. The winners will be determined by how well their offerings fit with each other and how well they fit into people’s lives. The use of systematic, visual representations exposes previously unseen opportunities for improvement and for growth across channels and touchpoints. Broadly, the term “mapping experiences” describes a range of such visualizations. You’ve probably already encountered one of the many approaches already in practice – customer journey mapping, service blueprints, experience maps, mental model diagrams, etc. For sure, IAs are well-suited for architecting such complex diagrams. Creating them requires empathy, organization, and visual storytelling skills. But our job as IAs goes beyond mapmaking. We have to also assume the role of facilitator and aspire to become grassroots strategic players. Engaging others in conversation and gaining strategic alignment are the ultimate goals. It’s not about the “map,” rather the activity of “mapping” that’s important.