I sat down with Büşra Coşkuner to talk about impact mapping, a way to make sure the work you choose is actually worth doing. It’s not about ranking your priorities; it’s about finding the right ideas to explore in the first place.
Büşra uses impact mapping to connect business goals with user behavior and the things we plan to build. This way, teams can:
- Check roadmaps and backlogs against real goals
- Choose features that support the outcomes in their OKRs
- Start with user outcomes that create business value
- Solve problems for specific types of users
I like how she’s made the approach more actionable: clearer terms, room for experiments, and thinking strategically before you start building.
As she put it:
“It’s to align the levels with product jargon. I don’t use ‘Impact’ at the goal level anymore because it shifts the focus from actor behavior to business goals.”
What stood out most? Impact mapping gives teams a shared way to talk about priorities early—before time and resources get locked into the wrong things.
We use UX metrics to quickly test which ideas actually move the needle for users. This way, you know when quick feedback is enough, and when it’s worth going deeper.
Discussion:
When you’re mapping out your next quarter, how do you decide what makes it onto the roadmap?