We are fervent
observers of our time
Méthos is a research & innovation consultancy.
We apply ethnography & collective intelligence to help organisations understand what matters to people and drive future-proof development.
Clients work with us to (re)connect with the world around them.
Recent projects
Swimming & the relationship to water
With an increase in the number of practitioners and the development of new activities such as open water swimming, we are witnessing a revival of swimming. As an activity, it has many faces: gentle or demanding; therapeutic, meditative or dynamic. In that respect swimming seems to echo the needs of our time.
Now that swimming pools are opening again after the Covid-19 lockdowns, swimming is experiencing a revival with an increase in the number of swimmers and the development of new activities, such as open water swimming, swim run etc. The act of swimming and the feeling of freedom it provides, seems to correspond to the needs and desires of our time. Decathlon contacted Méthos to understand these changes and support the development of the Nabaiji brand worldwide.
• Listen to the podcasts (in French)
Youth Civic Engagement
Some claim that young people do not engage themselves anymore in social issues. This statement doesn’t hold. Through two studies and a participation project, Méthos demonstrates youth civic engagement is alive and kicking.
How do young people engage in social issues today? Which mechanisms are at play and how can we best stimulate them? Commissioned by Enabel, the Belgian development agency, and the international NGO Plan International Belgium, Méthos delved into the broad topic of youth engagement.
• Download the Enabel report (fr/nl/en)
• Download Plan International report (fr-nl)
• Watch the making-of
• Listen to the podcasts (fr/nl)
An Alliance for Renovation
Energy-efficient renovation is a challenge that requires the mobilization of a multitude of actors, all with different backgrounds, professional skills and ways of working. Through the creation of a private-public alliance, we help them to work as one team.
Create a thriving collaboration between public administrations and private actors in order to achieve the energy-efficient renovation objectives for the Brussels-Capital Region: a project about stakeholder management and collective intelligence.
What we believe in
Being-in-the-world
We have been observing human nature in all its complexity, documenting what makes us different or what makes us connect, for over 10 years.
At Méthos, researchers are in-the-world as Heidegger put it, because we believe that the best way to understand the transformations unfolding around us is to lean in as close as possible and experience them from within.
Beyond numbers
Data alone, big or otherwise, are not enough. By itself, they do not point to the right decisions. We believe in looking past the random component in human behaviour and dive into emotions, fixations and deep-seated needs.
Co-creating solutions
We design projects together with our clients and stakeholders because we know that involving them will create a genuine impact and keep the results real and tangible.
We use collective intelligence and design-thinking methods to collectively craft artefacts, films, books, prototypes and narratives that trigger change.
Themes
We have been building expertise across various fields and in several regions of the world.