• The 4 Phases
    • All Methods
    • Phase 1Observation
      • 5 Whys
      • 6 Thinking Hats
      • AEIOU Framework
      • Card Sorting
      • Content Audit
      • Contextual Inquiry Plan
      • Crazy Eights
      • Empathy Map
      • Focus Groups
      • Future Trends
      • How Might We
      • Hypothesis Testing
      • Jobs-to-be-done (JTBD)
      • Journey Mapping
      • Mind Mapping
      • Moodboards
      • Mystery Shopping
      • Netnography
      • Observation
      • Personas
      • Poems
      • Product Love Letters
      • Stakeholder Map
      • Surveys
      • World Café
    • Phase 2Creation
      • 6 Thinking Hats
      • Brainstorming
      • Card Sorting
      • Challenge Assumptions
      • Could, Should, Must
      • Crazy Eights
      • Emotional Journey Map
      • Empathy Map
      • Focus Groups
      • How Might We
      • Hypothesis Testing
      • Innovation Board
      • Jobs-to-be-done (JTBD)
      • Journey Mapping
      • Mind Mapping
      • Mobile Diaries
      • Moodboards
      • Personas
      • Product Love Letters
      • Stakeholder Map
      • Storyboards
      • Surveys
      • User Testing
      • Value Proposition
      • World Café
    • Phase 3Implementation
      • A/B Testing
      • Could, Should, Must
      • Innovation Board
      • Mobile Diaries
      • Product Love Letters
      • Storyboards
      • User Interviews
      • User Stories
    • Phase 4Validation
      • A/B Testing
      • Concept Testing Plan
      • Contextual Inquiry Plan
      • Hypothesis Testing
      • Innovation Board
      • KPI (Key Performance Indicator) Tracking
      • Net Promoter Score (NPS)
      • Surveys
      • User Interviews
      • User Stories
      • User Testing
    • About us
  • UXSD Team
  • Liquid Design System
  1. UX Toolkit
  2. Methods
  3. Mobile Diaries
beginnercreationimplementation
Mobile DiariesGet to know the users' personal, daily life by having the users themselves document their activities.
weeks - months5+ Participantssoloreviewcreative
+4
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Summary
The simpler the method of interaction the better for the user and for you. Let your participants document and explain their thoughts and experience to a topic over a period of time. The period of time in which you let them monitor or explain their insights and emotions to you can vary from weeks to months. Be sure to recruit a sufficient number of test candidates because not all of them can be expected to consistently be a part of your study as it's rather time-consuming.
Step-by-step
  1. Planning (be sure to have a deadline, goals, and knowledge of who you want to recruit). Use the Mobile Diary Planning worksheet to keep an overview.
  2. Collect questions that you want to ask the users. Feel free to use the Mobile Diary Questionnaire as a template for your questions (one sheet per question).
  3. Recruit the test candidates and give instructions. Provide all participants with a digital tool to log their thoughts, a notebook, or have them use the Mobile Diary Day Report.
  4. Evaluate reports.
  5. Record the most important and most frequently mentioned findings.
What you need
  • Mobile Diary Planning worksheet
  • Mobile Diary Day Report
  • Mobile Diary Questionnaire
  • Paper
  • Pens
External resources
  • Diary Studies
    by NNGroup
Do you have a question?
These methods might seem simple, but applying them in a real project is another story. We’re there to help. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to get in touch with us at the User Experience Strategy & Design team.
Ask Away!
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6 Thinking Hatsobservation
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User Testingcreation
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AEIOU Frameworkobservation
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Tracking key data of digital products helps to continuously test and improve them.

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