User-Centred Requirements Handbook |
Activity diaries require the informant to record activities they are engaged in throughout a normal day. Diaries may vary from open-ended, where the informant writes in their own words, to highly structured tick-box forms, where the respondent gives simple multiple choice or yes/no answers to questions. The required materials range from paper and pencil techniques, to video tape diaries and on-line input forms administered by computer.
Typical Application Areas
Useful to capture user behaviour over a period of time.
Benefits
Allows data to be captured about every day tasks, without researcher intrusion.
Limitations
Users may forget to complete their diary or fail to complete it properly if insufficient instruction is given.
What you need
Production of diaries and visits to help maintain and bolster user efforts to complete their diaries. Computer-administered formats and video-cassette recording for more sophisticated data capture.
Process and guidelines
1. Decide on whether the diaries are to be free form allowing the person to express themselves freely, or structured with fixed response formats which will be easier to analyse.
2. If a structured method is used, then a careful selection of questions and response categories must be produced.
3. Decide how often the respondents should complete the diary e.g. hourly, daily, weekly. This will be determined by the nature of the data that needs to be captured and the tasks being carried out. Alternatively the user may need to complete the diary immediately after a particular event has occurred.
4. Produce copies of the diary and clear instructions for completing them.
5. Provide a means (e.g. a telephone number) whereby the respondent can check on the diary keeping procedure.
Further information
Poulson et al (1996).