Look at a routine
as it happens.
Some experiences are spread across days, places or repeated attempts. Diary work asks participants to record agreed moments close to the activity, creating material the team can discuss afterward.
The study begins by defining which moments matter. Recording everything is rarely a useful or reasonable request.
Keep participation
manageable.
Prompts, frequency, duration and the type of contribution should fit the activity and the people taking part. We agree that work in the study scope and make the expectations understandable to participants.
Follow-up conversations can clarify an entry or explain a change. We note gaps in the diary so the team understands what the study can and cannot tell them.
The circumstances
are part of the experience.
A routine may change with time pressure, location, other people or access to a product. Diary material helps the team look at those conditions alongside the activity itself.
We look for patterns and differences, keeping participant-provided material separate from the interpretation developed during synthesis.
- Inputs
- The repeated activity, priority questions, participant context and practical constraints.
- Plan
- A bounded set of prompts, participation expectations and follow-up arrangements.
- Handover
- Contextual patterns, supporting material, limitations and implications for the team.
Choose what
to examine further.
Diary work may reveal a question better explored through an interview, a site visit or an observed task. The handover should help the team choose that next investigation rather than suggesting one method answers everything.
Discuss a repeated routine