Hey there, my name is Nazish, the creator behind Shopkeeper Stories 🙂 With my passion for research and creating human-centric experiences, here is a suite of bespoke services.

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ABOUT YOU

You want to shape a policy, product, or program, and you believe in making evidence-based decisions. This evidence includes ground truths. You want clarity about your target users’ perspectives, behaviours, and how they make decisions. You know that you will grapple with winning people over,  and struggle to keep them engaged, until you first understand their mental model of the world.

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH (includes UX)

I excel in the art of sense-making. Armed with rigorous research methods, such as ethnography, in-depth interviews, usability testing, and surveys, I am able to unlock those elusive “a-ha” moments. With care for qualitative data, I will skillfully transform raw data into crisp, actionable insights that empower you to make informed decisions.

STORYTELLING

Storytelling is crucial for influencing others. I can help to draw out the most compelling threads of insights, and provide guidance on your storyline and delivery, so that you can leave your audience inspired to act on your recommendations.

BITS & PIECES

Maybe you don’t need a researcher to run the entire project, but just need expert guidance for a piece of it. That’s ok. Whether you need help crafting the research methodology, writing a survey, conducting fieldwork, or mapping actionable user journeys, I will bring the right expertise to every aspect of the research study.

IMMERSIONS

Reach out to me if you need help organising a user immersion for your team. This immersion could include shadowing a street vendor, eating with local families, observing money lenders, and much more. At the end of the immersion, I will run a debrief workshop to help you turn the observations into a useful and prioritised set of recommendations.

ABOUT ME

Nazish Zafar has spent 15 years conducting research in academia, government, and tech companies such as Grab where she cultivated a deep expertise in driving improvements at the intersection of business and human-centricity. With a PhD in Sociology from Johns Hopkins University, Nazish’s academic background forms a robust foundation for her research prowess. She is celebrated for her ability to pinpoint crisp and crucial insights that resonate with her audience. Nazish is not only a seasoned researcher but also a talented storyteller, as exemplified by her decade-long venture, “Shopkeeper Stories,” a captivating series of photoessays chronicling the lives of small business owners. Nazish’s research work has taken her to far-reaching corners of the globe, where she easily adapts to the research context, from Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, and the United States.

EXPERIENCE

Companies

My portfolio includes both consultancy and in-house research:

• Grab: Head of Research (2020-2023)
• NTUC Link: UX Research Lead (2018-2019)
• Paperplane Co: Research Consultant (2016-2018)
• NUS Enterprise: Social Media Strategist (2015-2018)
• Agility Research: Ethnographer (2017)
• Singapore Government: Research Consultant (2008/2009)

Domains

I have conducted studies in numerous domains:

• Small businesses
• Loyalty programs
• Food delivery
• Hotels
• Supermarkets
• Education
• Orphanages
• Welfare policies
• Mobile payments
• … and more

Countries

Research conducted in: Singapore. USA. Indonesia. Brazil. Russia. Vietnam.

CONTACT

Email shopkeeperstories@gmail.com to chat about your projects and what you need!