Mapping Exercise
To kick off the project, we started with mapping relevant stakeholders to the project brief of:
“How can we support transition of children (4–10 years) from parental management to self-management in their asthma care?”
We began brainstorming all different types of stakeholders using post-its. Our aim was to ideate as many as possible in order to try to surface stakeholders that may not have been immediately evident from the project brief alone.
After coming up with as many stakeholders as possible, we began mapping them. At first we tried a concentric circle format with the child at the center. However, it became clear that it wasn’t the clearest representation of stakeholders in the problem space. Therefore, we moved towards a linear model in which stakeholders are organized according to how much direct interaction they have with children with asthma.
As we mapped stakeholders using this format, additional stakeholders we hadn’t thought of yet became apparent such as business owners, community organizations, and others. This process also prompted several questions that guided our subsequent research, including:
- When do you children realize they have asthma?
- What triggers asthma attacks?
- What prompts diagnosis?
- What initiatives exist to address asthma issues?
- What initiatives exist regarding helping children achieve self-sufficiency, not necessarily related to asthma?
- How do children develop from ages 4 through 10?
- How do community organizations support children with asthma?
- What engages children in new activities?
- How does race and income affect asthma prevalence?
By helping us to identify “hidden” stakeholders as well as guiding research questions, our stakeholders map helped us refine our approach and ultimately, our concept.
