Process
How to run a diary study in six steps
A six-step plan for a diary study, from writing specific research questions and choosing a sampling method to designing 2 to 5 minute prompts, recruiting 8 to 15 participants with room for dropout, checking in after two days and coding the entries. It is for UX and product researchers running longitudinal research. Koji can run follow-up interviews with the same participants and group what they say into themes.
Where this appears
What's in this process
- Define your research questions: Be specific: what makes people open the app, and what stops them finishing?
- Choose a sampling method: Interval, signal or event-contingent. Event-contingent is the most common in product work.
- Design your prompts: Short, specific and open to photos, voice notes or text. An entry should take 2 to 5 minutes.
- Recruit and onboard: 8 to 15 participants at minimum. Recruit extra for 20 to 30% dropout.
- Run the study: Give clear instructions and check in after the first two days.
- Analyze the data: Compile and code the entries, map patterns over time and look closely at outliers.
Use this image
Free to use in your docs, decks and posts under CC BY 4.0, as long as you credit Koji with a link to this page. To embed it, paste this into your page:
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<a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/how-to-run-a-diary-study-six-steps"><img src="https://www.koji.so/visuals/how-to-run-a-diary-study-six-steps/how-to-run-a-diary-study-six-steps.png" alt="Process showing six steps of a diary study: research questions, sampling method, prompts, recruiting with dropout in mind, running it and analysis." width="1080" height="1080" /></a>
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/how-to-run-a-diary-study-six-steps">How to run a diary study in six steps</a>, Koji</p>
