Understand
Diary Studies
Asking people to record their experiences over days or weeks, close to when they happen.
What is Diary Studies?
Asking people to record their experiences over days or weeks, close to when they happen.
What you learn
Some experiences only show up over days, not in one session.
When it helps
an experience unfolds over days, and interviews miss what happens in between.
Use it at work
- Choose what people should record, and when.
- Make each entry quick: a photo, a few taps or one sentence.
- Check in during the study to keep people going.
- Look for patterns over time, then interview about the surprises.
Your output
If the experience you study changes from day to day, ask people to record it as it happens, briefly, for a week or two.
Watch for
Asking people to recall weeks of experience in one interview.
Related practices
Sources
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