This document discusses the use of online and offline diaries as a research tool for studying technology usage. It summarizes findings from several research projects that used diary methods, including studies of 3D television, mobile medical monitoring, and young people's use of information and communication technologies. The key lessons learned are that diaries can provide both quantitative usage data as well as qualitative experiences, but they may influence participant behavior and come with ethical considerations. Offline diaries tended to be preferred by participants and allowed for more open-ended responses, though online methods provided automatically digitized data. Overall, diaries are found to be a useful tool for collecting hard-to-remember usage details when used alongside other methods like interviews.

1. Learning about
everyday and future
ICT practices:
with or without
online diaries?
Dr. Wendy Van den Broeck
Dr. An Jacobs
Bram Lievens

2. Overview
 Introduction: iMinds-SMIT
 Commissioned diaries as a research tool
 SMIT choices
 Research cases
 Lessons learned from comparison

4. Commissioned diaries as research tool
 Literature:
 Direct reporting of hard to remember data
leads to more exhaustive and accurate data
 Data that is not directly observable
(time/context)
 Open format or more structured
 Part of tradition of auto-collecting methods
(audio, visual)

6. Cases to be compared
3D-TV 2.0.

7. Variation in the cases
•Target population
• Online <-> offline <-> combination
• New technology or existing practices
and experiences
• Format diary: event based, time based
or combination
•Amount and character of questions

10. 3D-TV 2.0.
• 18 households – 40 participants
•Event based logging of 3D sessions (video content &
gaming) + evaluation of 3D experience (scale and open
questions)
•2x diary week: TV and gaming behavior: choice online or
offline

12. IM3 (Interactive Mobile Medical
monitoring)
 12 people with chronic heart failure
 Offline diary and auto-collection of pictures
 Intake and follow up interview
 4 weeks total, 2 weeks diary
 Open ended & closed questions
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13. Video Q-sac
 Usage of video-material on different screens in
the home
 40 households/100 respondents
 Profile questionnaire and picture inventory of
multimedia
 Online or offline diary and follow up interview
 2 years total, 1 week diary
 Open ended and closed questions
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14. 14

16. Tiro
 ICT in the life of young people
 Panel study
 34 participants aged 12-18
 10 months
 Online diary sent by mail or MSN – weekly
reflection on their ICT usage
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17. Lessons learned from comparison
(Johnson &Blytheway, 2001)
1. Representation: to what extent did it put potential participants off?
2. Difficulties: were some participants unable to complete the diary
due to impairments or limited skills?
3. Quality of data: how consistent, adequate and accurate was the
diary as a method to record daily events and actions?
4. Influencing behavior:
did keeping a diary influence behavior?
5. Online or offline
6. Ethical considerations:
did the completion of the diary cause some
undue distress, anxiety or inconvenience?
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18. Representation:
burden of the auto-collective method
 No difference in experienced burden offline <->online (exception:
double entries)
 Limited amount of clear questions (example answers)
 Type of information? Written down (structured) or called in
(experiences)
 Video-Q sac: confronting media behavior
 3D-TV: 3D as ‘event’
 TIRO: reporting on repetitive behavior
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19. Difficulties with filling in the diaries:
impairment and skill
 Online: tablet/computer access and skill
 Camera: instructions
 Elderly: writing culture versus visual,physical
impairment
 Ehealth projects:
stress factor
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20. Quality of the data:
consistency, adequacy, accuracy
 Quantitative information: logging
 Diary: qualitative data; representations
 Open ended questions depends on willingness
ofrespondent
 Importance of opening question: average day?
 Necessity of follow up interview
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21. Influencing behavior
 Social desirability bias
 Future behavior: e.g.
Watch less tv
 Higher usage pattern in
order to be ‘good
user/participant’
 Ehealth research and
compliance to social
standard of ‘good
patient’ 21

22. Ethical considerations:
stress, anxiety and inconvenience
 Open research role – inform when recruiting -
trust
 Informed consent
 Stressful life events and data collection: e.g.
IM3
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23. Online or offline
 Participants:
 Preference for offline
 Nice lay-out/object as incentive
 Provides opportunity for additional remarks more easily
 Easy to take: size matters
 Time - availability
 Dependent upon normal everyday ICT use (online already –
switching between devices?)
 Researchers:
 Number of participants influences choice
 Online: data is already digital
 Offline: additional comments – easy to take to interview
 Alternatives: call-in, video reporting, …
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24. Q&A
Thank you!
Contact information:
http://smit.vub.ac.be
wendy.van.den.broeck@vub.ac.be
an.jacobs@vub.ac.be
Bram.lievens@vub.ac.be
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