beginnercreationimplementation
Mobile DiariesGet to know the users' personal, daily life by having the users themselves document their activities.
weeks – months5+ Participantsreviewcreativeusers
+3
Open in FigJamOpen in Miro
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
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!
Explore similar methods
Mind Mappingobservation
1+ Participants
10 – 15 min

This method is great for warm-up sessions during ideation phases.

How Might Weobservation
2+ Participants
30 – 60 min

This method is used to summarize research insights in a constructive way. By starting the phrases with “How might we“, it is implied that there is a solution to the problem but not what the solution actually is.

Pluralistic Walkthroughcreation
1+ Participants
70 – 150 min

Review designs in an early stage with users.

Contextual Inquiry Planobservation
3 – 10 Participants
30 – 120 min

Plan and organize when, where, and who is to be observed to obtain information.

Emotional Journey Mapcreation
1+ Participants
15 – 60 min

This method serves to explore and question the overall experience of users.

This website uses cookies to give you the best, most relevant experience. Using this website means you’re OK with this. You can change which cookies are set at any time – and find out more about them in our Cookie Policy.