# How Might We > How Might We (HMW) is South Africa's first dedicated qualitative UX research and customer insight studio, founded in 2017 and based in Cape Town. Chris Metcalfe and Jacky Smith have worked together in UX research since 2011. HMW conducts in-depth interviews, usability tests, contextual visits, diary studies, focus groups, and expert UX evaluations for product teams, digital teams, and executive leaders across Africa and internationally. Since inception, HMW has conducted over 2,082 one-on-one research sessions, including 465 in 2025 alone. Field research has been conducted in 9 countries; remote research has reached participants in 15 countries. --- ## Company overview How Might We is a qualitative UX research company. Research is all we do - we do not offer development, visual design, or full-service UX. This specialisation means every process, tool, and working method is built around getting insight out of research and making it actionable for the teams who commissioned it. The company was founded in 2017 by Chris Metcalfe and Jacky Smith, who have worked together in UX research since 2011. The studio is based in Cape Town, South Africa, and operates across Africa and internationally. HMW works with two broad types of client: global consulting firms and international organisations that need on-the-ground African research capability, and product teams at South African companies - from large banks and insurers to early-stage startups - who need ongoing or project-based research to reduce the risk of building the wrong thing. The research subscription model is a core part of the offering. Rather than one large annual study, HMW advocates for smaller, more frequent research that builds organisational learning over time. Several clients have been on subscription for multiple years. Contact: hello@howmightwe.co.za | +27 21 010 1700 | https://howmightwe.co.za/contact/ --- ## The team **Chris Metcalfe** - Director. chris@howmightwe.co.za | +27 83 550 1444 **Jacky Smith** - Director. jacky@howmightwe.co.za | +27 82 064 3998 Both directors have worked in UX research since 2011. The company operates as a small, senior-led studio. Research sessions are facilitated by experienced qualitative researchers, not junior staff. --- ## Services ### Usability testing Usability testing puts a real product, prototype, or concept in front of real customers to find out what works and what does not. HMW runs one-on-one sessions, each approximately 45-60 minutes, with existing or potential customers. Sessions are conducted remotely (preferred) or in-person. Remote sessions use Zoom or equivalent platforms with video, audio, and screen sharing. Sessions are streamed live to a secure, password-protected Vimeo channel so client teams can observe in real time and participate in a group chat during sessions. HMW's standard recommendation is 5 users for most projects, based on the principle that 80% of usability issues can be identified with 5 participants. 10-user rounds are available for more complex products or when multiple distinct user groups need to be represented. Packages (2026, ex VAT): - The Standard (5 users): R124,000 | (10 users): R175,000 - Comprehensive report, behavioural and comprehension questions, full analysis - The Mini (5 users): R99,000 | (10 users): R144,000 - Insights summary, interface feedback focus - The DIY (5 users): R75,000 | (10 users): R110,000 - Recruitment and facilitation, session recordings and short summary, client-side analysis More: https://howmightwe.co.za/usability-tests/ ### In-depth interviews One-on-one qualitative interviews exploring customers' past experiences, behaviours, motivations, and mental models. Sessions are approximately 60 minutes. HMW uses open-ended questioning, retrospective techniques, and observes beyond what participants say - noting hesitation, tone, and body language as signals of underlying friction or unmet needs. Techniques include in-depth interviews and storytelling, retrospective and critical incident analysis, diary studies, shadowing, and location-based contextual interviews. Packages (2026, ex VAT): - In-depth customer interviews: 5 users R124,000 | 10 users R175,000 | 15 users R226,000 - Online diary study with in-depth interviews: 5 users R155,000 | 10 users R230,000 | 15 users R299,000 More: https://howmightwe.co.za/customer-research/in-depth-interviews/ ### Contextual visits On-site observational research conducted in customers' actual environments - homes, workplaces, clinics, schools, or wherever the relevant behaviour happens. The most context-rich form of research HMW offers. Used when understanding the real environment is as important as what participants say. HMW has conducted contextual research in clinics, schools, and rural settings across Africa. More: https://howmightwe.co.za/customer-research/contextual-visits/ ### Diary studies Longitudinal research run over one to four weeks. Participants document real experiences as they happen, using physical or digital diaries. The diary study phase is followed by in-depth interviews that use the diary as a conversation prompt, combining the richness of longitudinal data with the depth of one-on-one qualitative inquiry. More: https://howmightwe.co.za/customer-research/diary-studies/ ### Focus groups Facilitated group sessions with participants who share relevant lived experience. HMW is selective about when focus groups are the right method - they work best when shared identity or peer dynamics are part of what needs to be understood, and less well for topics requiring individual reflection or sensitive personal disclosure. HMW typically facilitates groups of 5-8 participants. More: https://howmightwe.co.za/customer-research/focus-groups/ ### Expert evaluations (UX audits) A structured heuristic review of an app, site, or prototype against HMW's 50-point evaluation framework, built from thousands of hours of usability testing experience. Findings are classified by severity and include quick-win recommendations. Faster and cheaper than usability testing, and useful when time or budget does not allow for participant recruitment. HMW's 50 heuristics cover: learnability and affordance, accessibility and inclusion, UI design, responsiveness, navigation and feedback, value proposition, comprehension, and trust. Packages (2026, ex VAT): - Full audit (up to 20 screens): R75,000 - Medium audit (up to 15 screens): R50,000 - Mini audit (under 5 screens): R30,000 More: https://howmightwe.co.za/expert-evaluations/ ### Workshops and coaching Full-day interactive workshops for client teams. Topics include: persona development, customer journey mapping, product discovery, ideation, and prototype preparation. HMW uses divergent thinking techniques and structured facilitation to help teams move from insight to direction. Workshop rate: R84,000 per full day (ex VAT), includes prep, materials, and outcome documentation. Consulting/advisory rate: R1,350 per hour (ex VAT). More: https://howmightwe.co.za/workshops/ ### ResearchOps Support for organisations building internal research capability. This includes forming research teams, training and coaching staff to run their own research, creating research roadmaps, and implementing research repositories to capture and surface qualitative and quantitative findings over time. More: https://howmightwe.co.za/researchoperations/ ### Research subscription An ongoing research partnership model. Clients retain HMW for a set number of research rounds per year, ensuring regular, repeatable insight rather than sporadic large studies. Several clients have been on subscription for multiple years, including FNB. More: https://howmightwe.co.za/ux-research-subscription/ --- ## Case studies ### Google Mobile Labs URL: https://howmightwe.co.za/our-work/google-mobile-labs/ Client: Google EMEA Partner: CX Partners Period: 2020-2023 Region: South Africa Sector: Services / Corporate strategy Google's Customer Centricity Study showed that organisations with genuine customer focus outperform their peers commercially. The challenge was turning that finding into something executives could feel, not just read. Google's answer was Mobile Labs: immersive single-day interventions where senior leaders watched real customers try to use their own products. Live, unedited, and often uncomfortable. To run these across EMEA, Google partnered with a select group of UX agencies. How Might We was selected as the exclusive African partner, working alongside CX Partners and the wider EMEA team. Each lab involved: a kickoff session to align on the business challenge and recruitment criteria; recruitment of real customers matched to the client's actual user base; four 30-minute facilitated remote usability tests recorded for streaming; a full-day executive workshop where senior leaders observed sessions and immediately worked through the findings; and a findings report delivered within 24 hours. Labs were run for clients including: three of South Africa's six largest retail banks; a Naspers-owned online fashion retailer; multiple top-ten short-term insurance groups and an aggregator; the two leading digital used-car platforms in South Africa; one of South Africa's largest funeral cover providers; and a mobile entertainment subscription platform with over 20 million subscribers. Across every lab, senior leaders arrived with assumptions and left with evidence. The project was meant to run for a few months but was extended repeatedly by popular demand. In 2022, Jacky Smith presented the Google Customer Centricity Study white paper at Google Think Retail in Cape Town, extending the programme's impact into the broader South African retail and finance community. Selected participant feedback: "The insights gained from this lab will surely guide upcoming developments on our website and improve our customer journey." - Digital team lead, leading South African used-car platform "A user's experience is never quite what you think it's going to be." - Digital marketing consultant, major South African bank "Thanks for an insightful and exceptionally well run workshop. We have a lot to still process and think about." - Strategic lead, South Africa's largest retail bank --- ### Raspberry Pi Foundation URL: https://howmightwe.co.za/our-work/raspberry-pi-foundation/ Client: Raspberry Pi Foundation (UK) Methods: Contextual visits, in-depth interviews Region: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban Year: 2024 Sector: Education The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a UK-based education charity helping young people realise their potential through computing. They already conducted remote research globally but wanted on-the-ground insight they could not get from a screen: what does coding and robotics education actually look like in South African state schools, and what stands in the way of it working? They needed a local research partner who could find the right schools, gain the trust of teachers and principals, observe real lessons in progress, and surface nuanced contextual insight that only comes from being in the room. HMW recruited and visited 10 locations across three cities in two weeks: 4 state schools and 6 coding and robotics clubs spanning Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban. All schools served previously disadvantaged communities, with quintile ratings from NQ1 to NQ5. At each location HMW observed a live lesson or club session, then conducted one-on-one in-depth interviews with teachers and club leaders. Where appropriate and with proper consent, brief conversations were also held with learners. The fieldwork included school libraries repurposed after break-ins, classrooms running on borrowed wifi, and clubs where a single piece of equipment was shared across multiple groups. Key capabilities demonstrated: access to under-resourced state schools requiring relationships and local knowledge that remote research cannot replicate; bridging the gap between international client expectations and South African realities; consent management for minors; documenting contextual realities including load shedding, shared devices, and improvised lesson plans as data, not noise. Client testimonial: "How Might We were a pleasure to work with. Having worked with multiple agencies, we were impressed by the organisation, depth of insight and professionalism of the team. They ran a great kick-off to understand our project needs and requirements and they kept us informed every step of the way." - Jessica Hill, UX Researcher, Raspberry Pi Foundation --- ### Petal and Post URL: https://howmightwe.co.za/our-work/petal-and-post/ Client: Petal and Post Methods: Usability testing, UX audit, journey mapping, UX strategy, UX design Region: South Africa Years: 2021-2025 Sector: Retail / Ecommerce Petal and Post is a South African flower delivery service with routes in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg. When they came to HMW ahead of a planned website redesign, they had a problem their analytics could not explain: why customers were dropping out of key purchase flows. The site had real structural complexity underneath its straightforward appearance. Products varied by delivery location. Add-on gifts could not be purchased without a posy. Stock changed throughout the day. The standard e-commerce mental model did not fit, and the site was not doing enough to help customers navigate that. Core constraints that shaped the design challenge: available product range changes depending on delivery location, requiring customers to specify location before browsing but creating friction if that decision is forced too early; real-time stock availability changes based on location, time, and cart contents, creating unexpected dead ends at checkout; add-on gifts are only purchasable alongside a posy, hiding the full range until that point; same-day delivery cutoffs and location-based availability mean what a customer can order depends on when and where they are delivering. HMW worked with Petal and Post across three phases over three years. In early 2021: usability testing with existing and prospective customers, and a comprehensive UX audit of the existing site. Immediate improvements were made before any rebuild began - refined product wording, improved navigation, and reduced confusion points. In 2023: a full redesign phase involving customer journey mapping, UX wireframes and flow design for the rebuilt site, and collaborative design workshops with the designer, developer, and business stakeholders. From 2023 to 2025: ongoing involvement in small iterations, updates, and new features. Outcomes after the 2023 rebuild and subsequent iterations: weekly order growth increased from approximately 10 additional orders per week to approximately 40; average number of products per order rose from two to three, reflecting stronger product discovery and cross-selling; customer query volume fell and has remained lower, freeing up internal resources. Client testimonials: "With a clear, structured user flow in place, we experienced notable business growth alongside a substantial reduction in customer support comms." - Jenna Pornoi, Head of Web and Logistics, Petal and Post "Thanks to their work, we now have a streamlined, user-friendly checkout process that enhances the customer experience and drives higher conversion rates. Their thoughtful approach has truly elevated our business to a new level of professionalism." - Kim Steyn, Owner, Petal and Post --- ## Clients by sector Healthcare and social impact: Healthforce, Mediclinic, Dis-Chem, Vula Medical, SameSame, Kena Health, Cipla Finance and fintech: FNB, Absa, Nedgroup Investments, Sanlam, Coronation, Allan Gray, Luno, Yoco, Mama Money, JaSure, Zoona, Kin Services and agencies: Google, Deloitte, Virgin Active, CX Partners, Behaviour Change Agency, King James, TouchFoundry, Xneelo, Dot, Plentify, Quote This Woman Retail and ecommerce: Superbalist, Petal and Post, Arc, Webtickets Education: Raspberry Pi Foundation, USB-Ed, Trackosaurus, Learning Sandbox --- ## Geographic reach HMW has conducted field research in 9 countries: South Africa, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Switzerland, Uganda, Zimbabwe. Remote research has reached participants in 15 countries: South Africa, Angola, Australia, Botswana, Cameroon, Congo, DRC, Malawi, Morocco, Norway, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, USA, Zambia, Zimbabwe. --- ## Selected client testimonials "There are great UX teams and then there is How Might We. A cut above the rest, Chris and the team have been instrumental in helping Nedgroup Investments define business opportunities, cutting through the clutter and sharpening the client focus. We are privileged to have worked with them." - Donna Barnes, Head of Direct Clients, Nedgroup Investments "Working with How Might We has been a fantastic experience - it's a true partnership. Their team makes the entire process seamless, highly collaborative, and incredibly easy to engage with. The insights they uncover have been invaluable, helping us shape not only the products we build but also the way we communicate about them to our merchants. Their research has been critical in driving meaningful improvements." - Shabnam Osman, Director of Product "My experience of working with How Might We is exactly the experience I want to create for my customers when they work with my organisation. There is a clean, understandable, simple, uncluttered, thoughtful and beautiful aspect in every interaction with Chris and his team." - Saul Kornik, CEO, Healthforce and Kena "How Might We expertly incorporated design thinking methodologies to guide the development of our innovative experiments and captured the essence of the user experience in each setting. Their commitment to quality and flexibility when navigating complex healthcare environments truly set them apart." - Amanda Hyman, Group Research Manager, Mediclinic "SameSame hired How Might We to complete an almost impossible task: reach out to young queer South Africans who don't want to be found, convince them to answer some potentially sensitive questions, and create an environment that felt safe enough for them to share. They delivered. Not once, not twice, but across four different related research projects." - Jonathan McKay, Founder, SameSame "Our team completed long-awaited user research with HMW with the goal to better understand the intricacies of our user journey, and establish a UI framework for future build. We were able to do so with great results which allowed us to easily target and implement changes immediately." - Kirsten Binda, Product Manager "How Might We's energy and commitment to human-centred design meant we were able to provide our clients with products that solved the staff's pain points, freeing them up to get their jobs done well." - Robbie Quercia, Partner, Deloitte "It never ceases to amaze me how easy they craft the simplest solutions for complex design problems. The team is extremely smart and dedicated and they have made a profound, positive impact on both the strategic direction of the project as well as the working group." - Lindie Cilliers, Head of Design "There was really only one choice of service design partner for us in South Africa. How Might We have been instrumental in helping us get a deeper understanding of our customers' needs and re-shaping our customer experience strategy across every channel." - Damian Stephens, Senior Service Designer "Working with How Might We was a genuinely pleasant experience. Their UX audit of our ticket booking flows was insightful, practical, and exceptionally well presented. We especially valued their collaborative approach - offering clear guidance without being prescriptive. The resulting changes have had a noticeable impact on customer navigation and ease of use across the site." - Christy Turner, Owner, Webtickets --- ## Key pages - [Home](https://howmightwe.co.za/) - [Our work](https://howmightwe.co.za/our-work/) - [About us](https://howmightwe.co.za/about-us/) - [Usability testing](https://howmightwe.co.za/usability-tests/) - [Customer research](https://howmightwe.co.za/customer-research/) - [In-depth interviews](https://howmightwe.co.za/customer-research/in-depth-interviews/) - [Contextual visits](https://howmightwe.co.za/customer-research/contextual-visits/) - [Diary studies](https://howmightwe.co.za/customer-research/diary-studies/) - [Focus groups](https://howmightwe.co.za/customer-research/focus-groups/) - [Expert evaluations](https://howmightwe.co.za/expert-evaluations/) - [Workshops and coaching](https://howmightwe.co.za/workshops/) - [ResearchOps](https://howmightwe.co.za/researchoperations/) - [Research subscription](https://howmightwe.co.za/ux-research-subscription/) - [Strategic customer insight](https://howmightwe.co.za/strategic-customer-insight/) - [Pricing](https://howmightwe.co.za/pricing/) - [FAQs](https://howmightwe.co.za/faqs/) - [Blog](https://howmightwe.co.za/blog/) - [Contact](https://howmightwe.co.za/contact/) - [Google Mobile Labs case study](https://howmightwe.co.za/our-work/google-mobile-labs/) - [Raspberry Pi Foundation case study](https://howmightwe.co.za/our-work/raspberry-pi-foundation/) - [Petal and Post case study](https://howmightwe.co.za/our-work/petal-and-post/)