Diary Studies in UX Research: What They Are, How to Do Them, Why They Matter, and Best Practices

By Philip Burgess – UX Research Leader

Diary studies are a powerful yet underused tool in UX research. They offer a window into the real, day-to-day experiences of your users—capturing moments, emotions, and behaviors that often slip through the cracks in traditional lab-based studies. If you want to understand how your product or service fits into a user’s actual life, diary studies can be the key.

What Is a Diary Study?

A diary study is a longitudinal research method where participants log their activities, experiences, or thoughts over a set period of time. Instead of researchers observing in real time, participants self-report in the moment (or shortly after) as they interact with a product, service, or environment.

Diary entries can take many forms:

• Text entries (written reflections or responses to prompts)

• Photos or videos (capturing physical interactions, environments, or emotions)

• Voice recordings (quick, contextual feedback)

• Screen recordings (documenting digital behaviors)

The goal is to capture natural, in-context behaviors rather than one-off reactions in a controlled setting.

How to Conduct a Diary Study

Running a diary study involves careful planning to balance participant engagement with the depth of data you need.

1. Define Your Research Goals. Decide what you’re trying to uncover—habit formation, usability over time, emotional engagement, or pain points in a multi-step journey.

2. Choose the Right Duration

• Short-term (3–7 days) for task-based studies or onboarding flows.

• Long-term (2–4 weeks or more) for tracking habits, behavior changes, or seasonal patterns.

3. Select a Logging Method

• Structured: Fixed prompts, surveys, or daily questions.

• Unstructured: Open-ended entries allowing participants to share freely.

• Hybrid: A mix of structured and open-ended responses.

4. Provide Clear InstructionsParticipants should know:

• How often to log entries

• What details to include

• How to submit entries (app, email, specialized diary study platform)

5. Keep Participants Engaged. Check in regularly with reminders, encouragement, or small incentives to maintain participation.

6. Analyze and Synthesize. Look for recurring patterns, emotional triggers, and contextual factors that influence behavior over time.

Why Diary Studies Matter

Diary studies excel at revealing context, change, and nuance:

• Capture Real-World Use: Understand how your product fits into daily routines and environments.

• Spot Long-Term Trends: Identify how behaviors evolve beyond the initial novelty period.

• Uncover Emotional Journeys: Document the highs, lows, and subtle frustrations that short studies may miss.

• Surface Rare Events: Identify infrequent issues or moments that would never appear in a 1-hour usability test.

Best Practices for Diary Studies

1. Keep it Lightweight – The more burdensome the logging, the faster engagement drops.

2. Provide Examples – Show participants the level of detail you’re looking for.

3. Use Mobile-Friendly Tools – Make it easy to log entries from anywhere.

4. Over-Recruit – Participant drop-off is common; recruit 20–30% more than your target completion number.

5. Incentivize Milestones – Offer partial rewards for interim check-ins, not just the final completion.

6. Triangulate Findings – Combine diary study insights with analytics, interviews, or usability testing for richer understanding.

7. Close the Loop – Conduct follow-up interviews to clarify diary entries and explore themes in more depth.

Final Thought

Diary studies offer something no lab test or single-session interview can: an authentic, longitudinal view into your users’ lives. When done well, they don’t just uncover what happens—they illuminate why it happens, and how you can design better experiences to fit seamlessly into users’ real-world contexts.