About — Groundwork

Clinical psychologist with deep expertise in qualitative research, behavioral science, and human-centered design. Mara leads fieldwork and insight synthesis across consumer, brand, and development projects.

Research psychologist specializing in behavioral assessment, systems thinking, and evidence-based interventions. Jonathan drives methodology design and strategic framing across all engagements.

We serve as the lead consultants on all projects, working closely with clients from problem definition to insight generation and application. Depending on the needs of the project, we bring in a network of collaborators across research, design, and strategy.

Our work focuses on understanding people not just as respondents, but as individuals embedded in social, cultural, and real-life contexts. We study how people make decisions, navigate systems, and experience everyday life — and translate these into insights that organizations can act on.

Affiliations

We are affiliated with

CIA Bootleg Manila

A brand and innovation consultancy focused on deep human insighting.

Neighborhood

A strategic design collective working on complex systems and behavior-driven solutions.

How We Work

Our Approach

We combine three key lenses:

Psychological Depth

As licensed psychologists, we are trained to understand behavior beyond what is immediately visible—exploring emotions, motivations, and internal narratives.

Human-Centered Design

We ground our work in people's lived experiences, ensuring that insights reflect real needs and real contexts.

Local Grounding

We pay close attention to how Filipino culture, social dynamics, and everyday realities shape behavior and decision-making.

Our Process

How Every Engagement Unfolds

From the first conversation to final delivery, we follow a structured process that ensures rigor without sacrificing responsiveness.

Define the Decision

We start by understanding what you need to decide — not just the question you want answered. We align scope, methodology, and deliverables to your timeline.

Design the Research

We build a methodology tailored to your specific context — selecting the right mix of qualitative, quantitative, and contextual approaches.

Go to the Ground

Our team goes where the behavior happens — conducting fieldwork, interviews, and observations in real-world settings.

Synthesize & Make Sense

We distill raw findings into structured insights and frameworks your team can act on — not 200-page reports that sit on shelves.

Deliver & Apply

Presentation-ready outputs tailored to your audience. We don't just hand off a deck — we help you put insights to work.

Why Groundwork

What Makes Us Different

Led by senior psychologists

Every project is directly handled by experienced consultants—not passed off to junior teams.

We study behavior in context

Not in isolation, but as it happens in real life—within families, communities, and systems.

We go beyond what people say

We look at what people feel, avoid, rationalize, and struggle to articulate.

We make insights usable

Our work is designed to inform decisions—not just generate reports.

Insights that start from real life.

Start a Conversation

Psychology-led research, grounded in real life.

Mara Patricia Yusingco De Guzman

Jonathan Robert A. Ilagan