organising Diary Studies
Diary studies involve participants recording their activities, thoughts, and feelings related to a product or service over a period of time, providing real-time insights into user behaviours and experiences.
Goal
The goal is to gain a deep understanding how users interact with a product or service in their daily lives, identifying patterns, pain points, and opportunities for improvement over time.
Context
You can't observe every interaction that a customer has with your product, or the context and environment in which they are interacting with it. Diary studies provide a way to capture these experiences in a natural setting, offering rich, qualitative insights into user behaviours and emotions.
Inputs
| Artifact | Description |
|---|---|
| Diary Study Guide | A guide for participants to follow during the diary study, including the flow of activities and topics to cover. |
| Diary Study Participants | A list of potential participants, including their background and context. |
Outputs
| Artifact | Description | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Diary Entries | The recorded thoughts, activities, and feelings of participants. | Provides authentic insights into user experiences over time. |
Anti-patterns
- Insufficient Guidance: Not providing clear instructions for diary entries, leading to inconsistent or irrelevant data.
- Overburdening Participants: Asking for too detailed or frequent entries, risking participant fatigue and drop-off.
- Insufficient Reminders: Failing to remind participants to submit entries, leading to incomplete or inconsistent data.
- Ignoring Data Complexity: Underestimating the effort required to analyse rich, qualitative diary data.