Diary Studies
What is it?
Diary studies are a method for stakeholders to reflect and document, typically over several days or weeks. What they write will help you contextualise how people are feeling and what they are thinking as they experience a problem or work through a given activity.
Why and when should I use this?
As an individual talk, diary entries can reveal thoughts and feelings that aren't be expressed in a group scenario. They can be used to gather information over long periods of time which is particularly useful when implementing projects to understand how people experience them in reality. Diary studies can include written entries in notebooks, photos, and video documentation.
How much time should I spend on this?
10 minutes. It is best to set up diaries as an easy to do task that can fit in with people's daily routine.
Who should I involve in this?
Involve stakeholders at the heart of your challenge who face a particular problem, or people who will experience the solution as a user or staff member when it is implemented.
How to use it...
- Define what you will research: Insightful research comes from clearly defined questions. Work with your team select a focus and a stakeholder group.
- Create a journalling kit: Pick the approach that works best for what you are researching. Some projects will benefit from visual documentation, sometime writing is enough, and some require a combination. Share kits with. your stakeholders.
- Share instructions and prompts: Guide your stakeholder group through the contents and your ask of them. Send recurrent reminders with prompts that get them to question or observe specifics.
- Check-in: Gather feedback from each person who took part to learn about their experience and fill any gaps.