A Quick Start Guide to Online Diary Studies

Diary studies often provide feedback that cannot be uncovered by direct observation methods such as focus groups and face-to-face interviews.  Online diaries are particularly useful for exploring users' behaviour in their own environment to help understand their needs and motivations.

Typically we ask participants to log their activities over a period of time, during their normal daily routine.  Both paper and online diaries provide good information, but online diaries are often more convenient for the user and are easier for the researcher to monitor during the study.   

There are three stages to a successful online diary study:

• plan, meet and brief
• diary logging
• follow-up interview.

From our recent experience, we have compiled a few tips to help you at each stage.

Plan, meet and brief

1. Choose an online diary tool

We’ve found that blogging tools (such as Posterous) are simple to use (for both the researcher and the user) and allow user accounts to be easily managed. 

2. Introduce yourself to your users

Do this before setting up online blogging accounts for users.  It can be as simple as an introductory email, outlining the research and informing users that you will be setting up online blogging accounts for them.  Remind the users of key dates for the rest of the study.

3. Set up blogging accounts for users

Set the privacy settings appropriately and choose usernames and passwords that are memorable and relevant to users.  

4. Prepare diary kits

Diary kits should be given out at the Meet and Brief.  We normally include wallet-sized prompt cards detailing:

• users’ online log-in details
• the type of feedback users should provide
• researcher contact details (so user support is always available).   

5. Host Meet & Brief sessions

These are best held a day before the diary study is scheduled to start.  You should:

• introduce yourself (and meet the users)
• clarify the research objectives
• describe in detail the feedback that is expected
• explain how to use the online blogging tool. 

During the session, you should:

• be enthusiastic (if you are, your users will be too!)
• encourage users to have fun (give them the freedom to be creative by including photographs and pictures for example to make the experience enjoyable and promote buy-in)
• set a homework task (using the blogging tool to familiarise users with it)
• be reassuring (this will put users at ease and give them confidence in your ability as a researcher). 
• remember to give users the diary kits!

Diary logging

6. Keep up-to-date with diary entries

During the diary study, interact with users by:

• responding to diary entries
• posing scenarios
• setting relevant tasks.

This reassures users that their feedback is valuable and helps to keep them focused on areas of interest.  However, it is important not to be too influential. 

At this stage of the process be prepared to:

• provide technical support (it may be a good idea to provide users with an alternative means of sending feedback and getting in touch with you)
• keep notes of interesting findings as the study progresses (this will provide material for the follow-up interview and will save time in preparing for it)
• keep users motivated (users are expected to spend a significant amount of time and effort keeping diaries, so it’s inevitable that some may lose interest).

Follow up interview

7. Conduct follow-up interviews

Following the diary study, conduct follow-up in-depth interviews.  They are a good forum to probe areas of interest and to supplement and validate feedback retrieved from the diaries.  These should be done as soon as possible after the last diary entry is completed.

Always remember to thank users for their participation.

If you would like to find out more about how we can help you improve the performance of your business by understanding your users and customers better, please contact us.