Longitudinal and Diary Studies

with Bryan Kern and Lisa Preville

Tweet with other attendees: #UTWebinar

Connect with UserTestingTwitter: @UserTesting | Facebook.com/Usertestingcom

Host: Chris Hicken, COO of UserTesting

Lisa PrevilleUX Researcher at UserTesting

Bryan KernUX Research Manager at UserTesting

#UTWebinar

Agenda● What are longitudinal studies and diary studies?● When are they appropriate?● Combining both methods● Three things to keep in mind● Case Studies

○ Longitudinal (with some diary thrown in!)○ Diary

● Conclusion/Q&A

#UTWebinar

What Are Longitudinal Studies and Diary Studies?

A longitudinal study is an observational method that tracks users over a period of time.

A diary study is an observational method that records emotions and perceptions directly from a user.

#UTWebinar

When Are Longitudinal Studies Appropriate?● Site/app designed for daily use

#UTWebinar

When Are Longitudinal Studies Appropriate?● Gaming and interactive media

#UTWebinar

When Are Longitudinal Studies Appropriate?● Long or complex onboarding processes

#UTWebinar

When Are Longitudinal Studies Appropriate?● Understanding human behavior in relation to a digital

product

#UTWebinar

When Are Diary Studies Appropriate?● Self-reported insight into your product

#UTWebinar

When Are Diary Studies Appropriate?● Searching for an apartment

#UTWebinar

When Are Diary Studies Appropriate?● Social Media

#UTWebinar

When Are Diary Studies Appropriate?● Music Apps

#UTWebinar

Combining Both MethodsWhy do we do this?

At UT we often incorporate some level of diary-analysis in our longitudinal studies.

#UTWebinar

Three things to keep in mind

● Less is more● Repeated (longitudinal) testing● Deeper, not broader

#UTWebinar

Case Study: Longitudinal (with a little diary thrown in!)

● Study looking at a fitness app.● Wanted to learn about their habits alongside tracking

diet/exercise.

Longitudinal Study Timeline

Day 1: Initial call w/ client

Day 2: Test plan and preparation

Day 3: Recruitment

Day 4: Unmoderated tests for usability Day 5-10:

Users complete diaries Day 11:

moderated follow up sessions

#UTWebinar

Benefits of a Longitudinal approach

● Perfect study for longitudinal.

● Added a diary component.

#UTWebinar

Longitudinal Study: ResultsMajor findings for the app included:● Users prefer to be able to sync their fitness app with other similar apps

they were using at the time.

#UTWebinar

Longitudinal Study: ResultsMajor findings for the app included:● Users have difficulty using the app while dining out- found it easier to use

this app when at home.

#UTWebinar

Longitudinal Study: ResultsMajor findings for the app included:● A majority of users felt the app was useful in helping them with their

weight-loss goals.

#UTWebinar

Longitudinal Study: Results

Conclusions:● Without a longitudinal/diary approach, we wouldn’t have

been able to obtain the findings that we did with this study.

#UTWebinar

Case Study: Diary Study

We did a study where we examined how people incorporate digital products into their normal work day.

Diary Study TimelineDay 1: Initial call w/ client

Day 2-5: Test plan writing and preparation

Day 6: Recruitment

Day 7: Send instructions Day 8:

Users complete their diaries

Day 9-10:moderated sessions w/ users

#UTWebinar

Diary Study Benefits and ResultsOver the course of 1 day we can get a wealth of information from our users.

● Participation flexibility

● Enthusiastic users = robust information

#UTWebinar

Diary Study: ResultsExample of a user entry:

#UTWebinar

Always recommended practice for either longitudinal and/or diary studies!

Moderated Follow Up Sessions

#UTWebinar

Diary Study: Results

Conclusions:● The use of a diary study was critical to understanding user behavior

outside the realm of usability.● The results would not have been possible without the flexibility and wealth

of self-reported information that a diary study offered.

#UTWebinar

Conclusions● Longitudinal studies are great for sites/apps that are touched by users

every day or may have a range of user experiences over time.

#UTWebinar

Conclusions● Diary studies are great for getting detailed information about user behavior,

attitudes, opinions, or habits.

#UTWebinar

Conclusions● These studies are easy to do with the UT platform, can happen quickly

(dependent on the length of study), and offer great insights for your websites and products.

UserTesting Enterprise

Accelerated learning + deep insights + your target audience