Ecosystem Canvas
Design the target ecosystem with entities, roles, and value exchanges
The problem this canvas solves
Platform strategies face the unavoidable complexity of having to deal with a relevant number of user types. The essential unit of a platform strategy is rarely a user but rather a relationship between multiple users. Teams need a way to visualize and design the complex web of relationships that makes a platform valuable. The Ecosystem Canvas provides a visual representation of all ecosystem entities at a glance, breaking them down into peer consumers, peer producers, and partners.
When to use it
Use the Ecosystem Canvas to design (not just scan) your target platform ecosystem. This canvas moves from analysis to intentional design of which entities to include, their roles, and how value will flow between them through the platform.
The canvas
The canvas in the updated Boundaryless brand (full resolution — click to zoom). A print-ready PDF and editable SVG are also available on request.
Connections with other canvases
Feeds into
- Entity Portrait Canvas — Ecosystem design drives entity portraits
- Platform Design Canvas — Ecosystem informs platform structure
- Motivations Matrix Canvas — Ecosystem entities need motivation analysis
Informed by
- Ecosystem Scan Canvas — Scan provides foundation for design
- Brief Consolidation Canvas — Brief guides ecosystem design choices
Complements
- Transactions Board Canvas — Transactions detail ecosystem exchanges
Used in techniques
Used in pipelines
Related reading
- Defining the Platform Experience, and Flywheels for Defensibility — Explains how to use Ecosystem Canvas with PSM model and Motivations Matrix
- A Platform Design Example Explained — Practical example of Ecosystem Canvas usage
Resources
- Guide reference: PDT Strategy Design Guide - Ecosystem Canvas chapter
- License: Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 4.0 International
- Version: 2.2
Part of Platform Design Toolkit · v2.2