Emotional Radar

The Emotional Radar goes beyond traditional stakeholder mapping by addressing the unique emotional complexity that AI products generate. While conventional stakeholder maps focus on power and interest, this framework captures the trust levels and emotional investment that make or break AI adoption.

The Problem It Solves

When building AI products, teams face:

• Conflicting feedback from stakeholders

• Paralyzed decision-making when concerns/fear/other emotions aren't addressed systematically

• Failed AI adoption despite technical excellence

• Resource waste on features that don't address core emotional barriers

This framework thrives in collaborative, visual environments where:

• Cross-functional teams can map stakeholders together in real-time

• Emotions can be discussed openly in a structured, non-judgmental way

• Strategic priorities emerge visually from stakeholder placement

• Updates happen dynamically as emotions shift throughout the product lifecycle

Use Cases

1. Feature Prioritization Workshops

   • Map stakeholder emotions before sprint planning

   • Identify which features build trust

   • Align engineering effort with emotional impact

2. AI Adoption Strategy

   • Visualize organizational resistance points

   • Design change management approach per zone

   • Track emotional migration over time

3. Stakeholder Conflict Resolution

   • Surface underlying emotional drivers behind feature debates

   • Find compromise strategies that address multiple zones

   • Document alignment decisions visually

4. Product Retrospectives

   • Analyze why certain AI features succeeded or failed

   • Connect technical metrics to emotional landscape

   • Plan next iteration with emotional intelligence

5. Sales & Customer Success

   • Map enterprise client stakeholders during AI sales cycles

   • Customize demos and messaging per emotional zone

   • Predict and prevent adoption obstacles

Instructions

Setup (5 minutes)

1. Duplicate the template to your workspace

2. Gather your team for a 45-60 minute mapping session

3. Prepare a list of stakeholders (internal and external)

Mapping Session (45 minutes)

1. Brainstorm stakeholders: List everyone who influences or is influenced by your AI product

2. Score each stakeholder:

   • Trust Level: How much do they trust AI capabilities? (0=deep skepticism, 10=full confidence)

   • Emotional Investment: How strongly do they care about the outcome? (0=indifferent, 10=intensely invested)

3. Name specific emotions: Go beyond "positive/negative" - identify precise feelings (anxiety, excitement, skepticism, fear, enthusiasm, etc)

4. Plot on radar: Place sticky notes based on scores

Strategy Development (15 minutes)

1. Identify which zones have the most stakeholders

2. For each zone, brainstorm 2-3 specific actions

3. Prioritize actions that move stakeholders toward the Advocacy Zone

4. Assign owners and timelines

Ongoing Use

• Update monthly: Emotions shift as your product evolves

• Track migration: Notice when stakeholders move between zones

• Celebrate progress: Share when skeptics become advocates