Back to Phase 1: Research & Discovery
In this method, study participants are asked to keep a diary and log specific information over time about activities being studied. The diary itself can range from a simple paper journal to a digital recording device, and the input to be collected in the log entries can range from highly structured responses (like duration of the activity in seconds) to open-ended responses like detailed depictions of thoughts or emotions.
Use to collect qualitative data about user behaviors, activities and experiences over time, especially when field study or “shadowing” is not possible, such as when the duration of the activities to be studied is longer than a day or two, or involves the user traveling to multiple geographic locations, or requires round-the-clock monitoring.
Depending on the types of input your study requested of its participants, the diary entries can be decomposed and categorized or aggregated into quantitative measures to inform and support personas, or can be used for qualitative inputs to populate personas, user scenarios, journey maps and service design blueprints.