The Goodness of Diary Studies: A Method for Studying People in Their Environments
This document provides an overview of diary studies as a method for studying people in their natural environments. It explains that diary studies yield more objective and generalizable data than many workplace methods as they are less intrusive. The document then outlines how diary studies typically work, including meeting with participants, informing them of what to do, conducting daily interviews, concluding when enough data is collected, and repeating the process with other participants. It provides tips for having a clear focus, selecting and recruiting participants, creating fieldwork materials, planning and executing interviews, looking for patterns and insights, and summarizing findings to make them useful. The document recommends diary studies last less than two weeks or involve less than five interview hours per participant and stresses the importance of
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The Goodness of Diary Studies: A Method for Studying People in Their Environments
- 1. The Goodness of Diary Studies Boon Chew
- 2. Me
- 3. I do web (thanks, Francis)
- 4. UCLIC
- 5. I work here
- 6. What are Diary Studies? And, why?
- 7. A method for studying people in their own environments “... the diary study... is intended for use in the workplace, but... yields data that are more objective and more generalizable than many workplace-oriented methods.” (Rieman, 1993)
- 9. Quality data
- 10. Flexible
- 11. How to do a Diary Study
- 12. How It (Usually) Works 1. Meet Participant 2. Inform P What to Do 3. Interview P at Daily(ish) Intervals 4. Conclude When there’s Enough Data 5. Rinse and Repeat with Other Ps
- 13. Have a Focus
- 14. Select and Recruit your Participants
- 15. Create a “Fieldwork Pack”
- 16. Plan and Execute your Interviews
- 17. Look for Patterns and Insights
- 18. Summarize and Make Useful
- 19. And That’s How You Do Diary Studies!
- 20. Final Tips
- 21. < 2 Weeks or < 5 interview hours per participant
- 22. Take really good notes
- 23. And, Always ask WHY
- 24. Q’s?
- 25. All images licensed under creative commons, by these generous members on Flickr: incurable_hippie . Grufnik . Francis Storr clevercupcakes . ][No Ambition][ . Kristina B dunechaser . leobard . massdistraction josstyk . OliYoung . Thomas Hawk only alice . the|G|™ . Joe Lanman romanlily . bitzcelt .laurakgibbs GetItWithMe logo © GetItWithMe.com All other photos were from the author Photo Credits
- 26. Thanks! Contact Me: www.boonyew.com www.twitter.com/jaremfan boon.chew@gmail.com
Editor's Notes
- BoonWhy Present Diary Studies
- Build web applications
- Lab-based – objective, but not contextual, contrived, generalizableEthnography, Workplace-based methods – contextual, but subjective, real systems
- Minimizes the Hawthorne EffectParticipants improve an aspect of their behaviour simply because they’re being observed
- Observable behaviourDiary Study entries provide a “HOOK” to ask more targeted interview questions.So, Good interview Q’s + Diary Study Entries= Quality Datae.g. image search – Mexican dish – google images
- connect back with “having a focus” and give example: e.g. if doing a diary study on “people who have pets” for a client who is setting up an online pet store.
- Diary Form, Interview Questionaire, Consent Form, Information Sheet, Participant’s Address and Contact Details