About
Luminance Insight was founded in 2018 after noticing that the narratives about diverse audiences and service users were often told from non-diverse perspectives, further fuelling bias instead of transformative insight. Theresa, the founder, is a freelance online researcher with a passion for shining a light on cultural insights.
During her formative agency years, Theresa managed and moderated online communities, blogs, panels, online depths and focus groups for global brands. Today, she partners with small teams on everything from being an extra pair of hands on a project to leading a research phase of a project from kick-off to delivery.
Theresa combines in-depth market know-how with strategic insight to help clients understand and resonate more authentically with their audiences.
How can I help you?
Audience immersion
Spotlighting the diverse experiences of client audiences, whether that's consumers, service users or internal teams. I draw from my background in using digital research methodologies to meet people where they are, such as designing and moderating online communities, and conducting and analysing video depths and focus groups. I sometimes do this IRL too!
Cross-cultural insights
An interview participant once told me: "Our community is always called 'hard to reach, but they don't know how to reach us". This resonated with me because I've seen that much of what makes some communities appear more distant is often a combination of a one-size fits all engagement strategy, distancing language, and unchecked bias. I untangle these and connect the cultural dots by centring the experiences of underrepresented communities at every stage, whether that's advising on recruitment spec, collaborating on discussion guides, or infusing the analysis phase with cultural context. Often, it's all three.
Client delivery
"OAZUKARISHIMASU!" (お預かります!) is a phrase I learnt while teaching in Japan. It translates to "I will look after something for you" and implies a high level of care and attentiveness. Whether it's report-writing, workshop facilitation, or co-presenting at client debriefs, I can own the whole research phase or part of it, allowing you to smoothly manage client conversations and relax a little, knowing that the delivery is in safe hands.