Executive Summary
Builders.to is positioning itself as a home for builders who ship in public, build momentum, and connect with people who can move their work forward.
The Builder World Map looks like a natural feature for a social network. It signals global reach, community density, and belonging.
The problem is not aesthetic. The problem is functional: the World Map currently answers curiosity, not intent.
This clarity map evaluates whether the World Map meaningfully contributes to Builders.to’s core job-to-be-done, or whether it quietly drains focus by existing as a passive visualization rather than a connection mechanism.
Ideal Customer Profile
Primary ICP: Indie hackers, solo founders, and builders who ship weekly or biweekly and want momentum, feedback, collaborators, or opportunities without doing cold outreach.
Secondary ICP: Community-oriented builders who want to find nearby peers for meetups, coworking, or collaboration.
Anti-ICP:
- Passive browsers who do not post or engage
- Users who enjoy discovery but avoid initiating conversations
- Tourists attracted to “cool social features” without intent to build
The Real Job To Be Done
JTBD: “When I am building something, help me identify the few people who are worth talking to right now, so I can make progress this week.”
This is not a geography problem. It is a relevance and timing problem.
The Feature-Level Decision
The question is not whether the World Map is interesting.
The question is: does the World Map reliably create conversations, collaborations, or next actions?
If it does not, it is not infrastructure. It is decoration.
BELT Framework Analysis
BELT is used in Growth Pigeon clarity maps to test durability: Behavior, Enduring problem, Lock-ins, Transient distractions.
Behavior
Most users view the World Map once, usually early, driven by curiosity.
There is little evidence of repeat usage or habit formation. The map does not naturally pull users back into posting, messaging, or collaborating.
Enduring Problem
Builders consistently struggle to find relevant peers who are active, aligned, and open to interaction.
Location alone does not solve this. Activity, intent, and context matter more than proximity.
Lock-ins
The World Map currently creates no meaningful lock-in:
- No social graph reinforcement
- No memory or history effect
- No switching cost
Users do not feel worse off without it.
Transient Distractions
The main risk is mistaking social signaling for social utility.
Maps look impressive in screenshots and investor demos, but without action loops they become surface area that competes with higher-signal features like the feed, projects, and updates.
What the World Map Would Need to Earn Its Place
To justify its existence, the map must consistently drive at least one of the following:
- Direct messages started
- Follows that turn into recurring engagement
- Event RSVPs or local meetups
- Collaboration or co-building conversations
- Hiring or gig leads through Builders Local
If the map does not trigger action, it is not serving the core product.
The Three Viable Paths
Option 1: Delete
Remove the World Map from the main product surface.
This reduces cognitive load, simplifies the product, and reinforces that Builders.to is about shipping and connection, not passive discovery.
Option 2: Reframe into an Action Engine
If the map remains, it should be reframed as Active Builders Near You.
Concrete changes:
- Only show builders active in the last 7–14 days
- Highlight “Open to meeting” or collaboration intent
- Embed Follow and DM calls to action directly on each pin
- Tie the map to events, nearby discovery, and local initiatives
This turns the map from a visualization into a connector.
Option 3: De-emphasize
Keep the map as infrastructure, not a headline feature.
Remove it from primary navigation and surface it only in relevant contexts such as events, nearby discovery, or open-to-meeting flows.
Decision Rule
If the World Map cannot produce at least one meaningful action per 50 visits (DM, follow, RSVP, collaboration request), it does not earn its place.
Final Recommendation
Do not keep the World Map in its current form.
If Builders.to is willing to rewire it into an explicit connection engine, it can support the platform’s mission.
If not, deleting it is the cleaner, more focused move. Builders do not need more places to look. They need fewer places that actually help them move.