Human Insights with Cultural Context
Qualitative research services that help inform strategies to connect effectively with multicultural audiences.
We specialize in multicultural and Hispanic audiences across the U.S. and Latin America and conduct research in Spanish, English, and French.
We get the human side of the story. We delve into the human factors of your business question to provide a comprehensive understanding of the people you serve, allowing you to connect with them in a meaningful way. With VHR, you get the human side of the picture, to better inform your strategy and decision-making.
Strong connections are those established between people who feel seen, heard and understood, and we help you achieve that.
We transform cultural perceptions into insights you can act on. We all perceive things differently depending on the cultural lens we use. The way an idea or service is decoded is influenced by the cultural background of an audience. What can be seen as very engaging and straightforward by one crowd might deter or lack meaning for another one.
We know that cultural context and nuance are key pieces of the puzzle when you want to connect meaningfully with others or identify potential barriers and relevant solutions. That’s why at VHR we are sensitive to them and their strategic impact.
We work in English, Spanish and French Research shows that people who speak more than one language can also view the world in different ways, depending on the language in which they are operating*. People may refer to or relate to things one way when they are speaking in English, and in a different way when speaking in Spanish—and of course, feel more at ease addressing certain issues in the language they use more often.
Because we are aware of all of this, we moderate in different languages, can switch between languages during a session to accommodate these differences, and keep all of this in mind during the analysis.
Services
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, we partner with facilities, specialized recruiters, and interpreters to provide you full service across the United States and Latin America.
We use a variety of methodologies to help companies and organizations of all sizes get a comprehensive understanding of the people they serve.
Expertise
Advertisement evaluation
Concept development and optimization
Brand equity
Product and package evaluation
Reputation
Social Marketing
Culturally sensitive projects
Methodologies
In-person interviews
Telephone and online interviews
Family and friends group discussions
In-person and online group discussions
Ethnographies
Shop-alongs
Online boards
About Vivianne Hiriart
Vivianne Hiriart is a seasoned moderator and analyst with 19 years of experience with projects that involve the Hispanic population in the U.S. and different Latin American countries.
She has moderated over a thousand focus groups, interviews, in-home ethnographies, shop-alongs, online communities, and workshops.
Throughout her career, Vivianne has interviewed people from all walks of life: opinion leaders, physicians, patients with complex diseases, insurance agents, inmates in France at a penitentiary hospital, earthquake survivors in Haiti, advocates to end Female Genital Cutting in Senegal, bartenders in Canada, moms, housewives, mechanics and young adults who enjoy having a beer with their friends.
When Vivianne does qualitative research, her diverse professional background is what makes the difference. Vivianne is a psychologist, educator, communicator, writer, and a woman who has dedicated her entire professional life to understanding why people do what they do, its implications, and what elements they need to make decisions that are satisfying for them.
Vivianne studied Psychology in Mexico City and earned a Master’s Degree in Psychological Counseling in Paris, France. She was a columnist for newspapers, radio, and TV shows in Mexico for 15 years. She has also been a workshop facilitator and speaker for tweens, teens, parents and teachers; as well as journalists and other professionals for 20 years. She is the author of nine books.
A person who has lived in different countries, experienced different cultures, and speaks English, Spanish, and French, Vivianne is sensitive to how culture, context and personal situations influence people’s reality, the way they understand it and what they do about it.
Vivianne's experience writing and speaking about population, gender, reproductive health, and human rights paired with her experience with the United Nations Population Fund and The Population Institute also make her the perfect partner for social marketing projects. Her instruction in Communication for Behavioral Impact adds further value.
No matter the field she works in, Vivianne looks to deeply understand the people she is talking with to go beyond what they're saying to uncover the implications this might have for the project questions and interests.
As she always says, "it has to be meaningful and actionable."
What Our Clients Say
