Survival Guide for Your First Diary Study

I remember running my very first diary study, desperately searching the internet for practical advice. Now, after conducting several studies, I’ve realized that success comes down to the details. I love diary studies and want to inspire more people to try them! We design products to be useful, not just eye-catching, and diary studies help validate them over time. Here’s what I’ve learned:

1. Plan Meticulously

Map out every step in a spreadsheet or Miro board. Estimate how much time each task will take (even if it’s just 5 minutes), choose your tools (Excel, Dovetail, Miro, etc.), and set up organized folders.


2. Align with Stakeholders Early

Make sure legal, marketing, and other teams understand the study’s process and objectives. This prevents last-minute blockers like compliance issues that could derail your timeline.

3. Run a Pilot Test

Before launching, test the first two days of your study with a colleague. Check if messages are clear, reminders work well, and your documentation process is smooth. Adjust as needed.

4. Recruit the Right Users

Diary studies are an investment—make sure your participants are the right fit. A great way to do this is by running a short survey first, filtering for participants who explain well the feedback, fit demographics, and access to required tools.

5. Choose the Right Communication Channel

Select a tool that is convenient for your users. We used WhatsApp because it was already on their phones, making participation seamless.

6. Keep Stakeholders in the Loop

Set up a space (Slack, Miro, or Notion) where stakeholders can ask questions and stay updated without disrupting the research process.

7. Structure Opening & Closing Interviews

Kick things off by capturing user expectations. At the end, reflect on whether those expectations were met, if they would continue using the product outside the study, and when they felt like quitting.

8. Define Clear Research Goals

Before launching, align with stakeholders on key study questions. This helps maintain focus when unexpected but interesting insights pop up.

9. Use Scales to Track Trends

Scales (e.g., 1-5 ratings) in diary entries make data easier to analyze. For example, asking “How engaging was this task today?” helps quickly identify problem areas when reviewing results.

10. If Studying Habit Formation, Ask About Goals

If your study aims to measure behavior change (e.g., weight loss, meditation, budgeting), don’t just ask if they used the product—ask if they achieved their personal goal for that day.

11. Encourage Honest Negative Feedback

Users naturally want to please researchers. Ask direct questions like, “What frustrated you today?” to uncover real pain points.

12. Example Diary Entry Questions


  • Intro Questions: Did you use the app today? For how long? Where and when did you use it? On what device?

  • Experience Ratings: How engaging was it (1-5)? How useful was it (1-5)? How close do you feel to achieving your goal (1-5)?

  • Pain Points: What would you change? What difficulties did you experience?

  • Open Feedback: Anything extra to share?


13. Build a User Database for Future Research

Always ask participants if they’re open to follow-up studies. Having a database of engaged users (e.g., single parents, time-poor professionals) can be invaluable for more targeted user reserch

I hope this guide helps you confidently run your first (or next) diary study. They’re a powerful way to gather deep insights over time—so go ahead and give it a shot!