Field note · this week
Parents touring a school photograph the noticeboards, not the classrooms. The board is evidence of life; the classroom is just a room.
The gap between what people say and what they mean
People say —
“I’ll think about it.”
They mean —“Convince my family.”
We sit with real people before you make real decisions.
Human Centric Co. is a research bureau in Bangalore. We interview the people your decision depends on, in depth and in the field. Then we hand you a six-page memo in plain English, before you commit the budget.
- 60–90 minPer depth interview
- In the fieldHomes, stores, campuses
- Six pagesOne memo, reasoning shown
- One dayTo reply to your note
Why we exist
Understanding before action.
Every business decision is a bet on human behaviour. We shorten the odds.
How we work
Three steps. No shortcuts.
Every study runs the same way, so you always know where it is and what comes next.
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01
Listen
We sit with the people your decision depends on, one conversation at a time, where they actually live, shop and choose.
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02
Understand
We map where what people say and what they mean pull apart, and every claim stays tied to something someone actually said.
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03
Decide
You get a recommendation you can defend in the room, with the evidence behind it laid out page by page.
What you hold at the end
Six pages. Written to be read, not filed.
- p.1The decision you asked us to help with, in one sentence.
- p.2–4What people said, what they meant, and the verbatims that prove it.
- p.5What we would do, and what we would not.
- p.6The reasoning, shown, so your team can argue with it.
The Dispatch
One of these, weekly.
A single thing we saw or heard in the field, and what it meant. Short enough to read with your morning chai.
Almost there. Check your inbox.
Click the link we just sent to confirm. Nothing arrives until you do.
Click the link we just sent to confirm. Nothing arrives until you do.
From the field
One finding can change the plan.
Two recent studies. Clients stay anonymous; what we found does not.
HCC-026-01Education · A school group, Karnataka
The mother shortlists, the family ratifies, the child vetoes.
One findingRebuilt admissions before a rupee went to media.
HCC-026-02Hospitality · A restaurant brand, Bangalore
Three outlets. Three reputations. One name.
One findingPaused an expansion, saved a brand.
Commission a study.
Book a 30-minute callThree ways in
Pick the door that fits.
Most clients start with a Study. Some come to us with research in hand and need the decision argued. Some need the work that follows.
The question
“Why aren’t people doing what we expected?”
What you get
Depth interviews in the field, synthesis with verbatim evidence, and the six-page memo.
Good for
A launch, a price change, an admissions season, a new market. Any bet that rests on how people will behave.
The question
“We know what’s going on. What should we do?”
What you get
The options, the trade-offs and our recommendation, written so your leadership can argue with it.
Good for
Teams that already have research, or a strong hunch, and need the call made clearly.
The question
“How do we say it so it lands?”
What you get
Films, campaigns and brand language made from what people actually told us, led by Sherwin.
Good for
Turning a finding into work your audience recognises themselves in.
Scope and price are agreed upfront, after a 30-minute call.
Before you ask
Questions we get asked.
The honest answers to what most people want to know before the first call.
01What does a study cost?
Every study has one price, agreed in writing before any work starts. It depends on how many people we need to meet, where they are, and how soon you need the answer. Tell us the decision and we’ll give you a number after a 30-minute call.
02How long does it take?
It depends on how many people we meet and where they are. The proposal sets out the timeline, including the date the memo reaches you, and we hold to it.
03How many people do you talk to?
Enough for the patterns to repeat. Depth interviews trade breadth for understanding: fewer people, far longer conversations, 60 to 90 minutes each. We recommend a number for your question in the proposal.
04Why not just run a survey?
A survey tells you what people choose. It rarely tells you why, or what they meant by their answer. We sit with people long enough to hear the gap between the two. If a survey is the right tool for your question, we’ll tell you.
05Is our work kept confidential?
Yes. Your name stays off our website and out of our Field Notes unless you ask otherwise, and we’re happy to sign your NDA before the first call. The people we interview take part with consent and are anonymised in everything we write.
06What do you need from us?
A decision you’re weighing, the person who will make it, and 30 minutes. We handle the fieldwork and the write-up, and check in with you at the points that matter.
07Where do you work?
While we’re based out of Bangalore, our fieldwork extends all across India. That’s largely for our qualitative research; our Studio work goes across borders.
08Can you help after the memo?
Yes. That’s what Strategy and The Studio are for: arguing the decision through with your leadership, or making the films, campaigns and brand language that follow.
The people behind it
A small bureau, deliberately.
The two people you meet on the first call are the two people who do the work.
Co-founder · Research & Strategy
Stephen Baptist
A decade of qualitative fieldwork shaped how Stephen thinks about brands: through the audience’s eyes, not the brief’s. He designs the studies, sits in the interviews and writes the memos.
“The best research questions feel obvious in hindsight — but only after you’ve stopped assuming you know the answer.”
Co-founder · The Studio
Sherwin Carlose
Sherwin comes from video production, where every frame has to earn its place. He leads The Studio, turning findings into work that holds attention because it’s built on something true.
“Good creative isn’t decoration. It’s the moment the finding lands — and they recognise themselves.”
Start here
Bring us a decision.
Tell us what you’re weighing. A few sentences is plenty.
- 01We reply within a dayFrom Stephen or Sherwin, never a bot.
- 02A 30-minute call. No pitch.We ask about the decision, not your budget.
- 03A short proposalScope, timeline and price, in writing.
Got it. Thank you.
We read every one of these ourselves. Expect a reply within a day, and a copy of your note in your inbox now.
Thirty minutes. No pitch.
— Stephen & Sherwin