Author: marria

In class, we spent much of our time examining healthcare systems through the lens of ecosystem maps, a versatile design tool used for service systems. We mapped out the National Health System of Scotland, the health systems of five different other EU countries, and finally, we used it to create our own ideal healthcare system. The usefulness of the ecosystem map for analyzing any size of system is apparent just by looking at one. They are capable of breaking down huge amounts of information even for the most complicated ecosystems, from national healthcare systems to a small sub-system on a university campus. Alternatively, it can be used for building a new ecosystem from the ground up by evaluating the foundation of its environment. 

Combining my new experience with ecosystem mapping and my experience with one of my favorite places, I have created an ecosystem map for another system, closer to home: the BeAM makerspaces at UNC. Here you can see the result, a sneak peek into the behind-the-scenes operations done at BeAM. You can also view a full-size service pathway of the user education system developed after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether you are already a user at BeAM or have never heard of it before, I hope that this simple example of a familiar place will give you a glimpse of what we have been doing in Burch Scotland 2022.