We sit across the table
from your customers,
and bring back what they meant.
Shirabe Research runs qualitative market research the slow way: in a five-week study we sit across the table from twelve of your customers, chart what they say on paper together, and read the findings out to your team in person.
Moderated interview, studio B
THE BRIEF
01 — What a study is for
Every study begins with a specific question about how people live, choose, or decide.
Quantitative dashboards and analytics show what customers do, but they rarely explain why they do it. When adoption stalls, engagement patterns change unexpectedly, or a new concept requires validation before commitment, organizations need direct observation. We bring participants into our Northbank studios or visit them in their natural environments to explore their underlying motivations, unstated expectations, and day-to-day frictions.
We spend ninety minutes defining the brief alongside your team before recruitment begins. Our researchers speak directly with participants, record each session, and transcribe every conversation verbatim. By mapping spoken testimony and observable habits against physical paper charts, we distill complex human conversations into dependable findings your leadership team can act on with clarity.
METHOD
02 — How we work
Weeks 1–2
Recruit the right twelve
We recruit exact participant profiles through careful screening, ensuring every interview represents genuine target audiences.
Weeks 2–3
Listen in person
We conduct one-to-one moderated sessions in calm studio rooms or on site, allowing conversations to unfold naturally without rigid survey scripts.
Week 4
Chart on paper, together
We map findings on large physical paper charts with your team, identifying patterns across transcripts without dashboard abstraction.
Week 5
Read out, then write
We deliver an in-person readout session with your stakeholders first, followed by a concise, evidence-based written report.
IN NUMBERS
03 — One study · Grocery co-op members, 2025
An intensive qualitative inquiry examining why active members stopped opening the co-op mobile application across three metropolitan markets.
interviews
24
cities
3
hours of recordings
41
findings
6
STUDIES
04 — Recent qualitative studies, in our studios and in the field
Membership · Grocery co-op members, 2025
“Why did members stop opening the app?”
interviews
24
findings
6
Retail · Bicycle maker, 2024
“What does a first-time buyer check before paying?”
in-store visits
18
findings
9
Public service · Library network, 2023
“Who comes in after 18:00, and why?”
interviews
32
findings
4
PEOPLE
05 — Seven people, one studio
Shirabe Research is an independent qualitative practice founded by Clara Wendt in 2012. Our team of seven researchers, field moderators, recruiters, and analysts conducts qualitative fieldwork across five languages. We remain deliberately focused, ensuring every study is planned, moderated, and analyzed directly by experienced practitioners who work face-to-face with participants and client teams throughout each five-week engagement.
Clara Wendt
founder, principal researcher
Tomás Ibarra
head of fieldwork
Nadia Haddad
senior moderator
Jonah Mensah
survey and analysis lead
Ingrid Solberg
recruitment lead
Wei-Lin Chou
transcripts and translation
Rafael Duarte
studio manager
FEES
06 — Priced per study, in USD
| Study | What you get | Length | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery interviews | 8 one-to-one 60-min interviews, recordings, written report | 4 weeks | from $9,800 |
| Concept test | 12 interviews with printed concepts and paper charts, readout | 5 weeks | from $12,400 |
| In-context visits | 6 home or workplace visits, photo notes, report | 5 weeks | from $14,500 |
| Interviews + follow-up survey | 12 interviews then a 400-person survey to size the findings | 7 weeks | from $18,900 |
| Readout workshop | half-day session with your team on an existing study | 1 day | $2,400 |
Prices exclude VAT and participant incentives.
CONTACT
07 — Request a proposal
Discuss an upcoming study with our principal researchers.
We welcome inquiries about qualitative fieldwork, concept testing, in-context visits, and custom research briefs.
Address
Shirabe Research
4F, 27 Calder Street, Northbank
Hours
Mon–Fri 9:00–18:00; interviews by appointment until 20:00 Tue/Thu; closed weekends and public holidays.
Phone
+00 20 7000 2712