Humankind Research

Company Description

In a nutshell

Combining the sharpest and most innovative tools from commercial qualitative research with best-practice principles from social research, we provide insight and strategy to purpose-led organisations and non-profits. We embrace and embody the values of the B Corp movement: harnessing the power of ethical business to bring positive environmental and social change. We don’t just want to uncover interesting insights, we want to help our clients achieve their goals and have real impact. So our focus is on strategically actionable recommendations.

Who we work for

Half of our work is for major brands, helping them to operate as good corporate citizens: creating inclusive products and communications; developing purpose playbooks and ESG priorities; and helping leverage their assets for positive social impact. The other half is for charities and non-profits, exploring social issues from the ground up: understanding cultural context and roots of public opinion to build engaging charity brands and fundraising approaches; and exploring the lived experience of social issues to inform programs and policy.

What we do

Whilst every brief is different, there are some core areas of expertise we have built up over the years around strategy and purpose definition, behaviour change, segmentation and needs mapping, creative development, NPD & positioning, lived experience of social issues, and diversity, equity and inclusion. We are experts in recruiting and engaging marginalized, minoritized and niche target audiences, using a range of techniques to reach the right people, and taking a custom approach to engagement and moderation which optimizes participant experience, ultimately generating better insights.

How we do it

We use our toolkit and network of specialist partners to create a bespoke methodology for every brief, focused on the best way of connecting with that target audience and fulfilling client objectives. We draw on qualitative and quantitative research including focus groups, surveys, individual interviews and ethnography; futures and trends; and specialisms such as analytics and semiotics. We frequently combine these to deliver mixed methodology projects.

Participant partnership

It’s so important to us that we don’t simply ask people to share their views, remunerate them and then say goodbye; instead, we build an ethos of collaboration, transparency and agency into our engagement with research participants. Both because this is the right thing to do, and is the route to better insight. Where possible, and especially when working with marginalized audiences, we will build participatory processes into our approach: co-creating processes with those with lived experience; involving them to share the project outputs; even doing analysis together. Beyond this, we bring a participatory spirit to every project: treating people with respect and creating psychological safety in every touchpoint; sharing objectives of the research and framing their role as collaborators; and ensuring the research is an affirming experience.

Client partnership

We work flexibility with clients because things change - we have the flexibility to change with them, and aren’t afraid to pivot if the project needs it. Our quality of insights and unique model has led to lasting partnerships with brilliant clients over the years, and we see this collaboration as central to producing great work.

Do get in touch if you’d like to explore what a partnership with your organisation could look like!