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140 CHAPTER 6 Diaries

did not do so? (Carter and Mankoff, 2005) Neither observation nor automated data
collection would be able to record that.
Despite all of the benefits of using diaries for HCI research, there are some po-
tential disadvantages. If you are asking for participants to provide insights as a part
of a diary entry, for some individuals, they may not be introspective or aware enough
to do that. While time recording may be more accurate using a diary as compared to
a survey, automated methods of data collection, when available, may still be more
accurate. It can also be challenging sometimes, to get participants to record a suf-
ficient number of diary entries. Furthermore, if a diary study requires a high number
of diary entries, or very personal information, participants may not want to take part
in the study, or again, may record diary entries relatively infrequently. A summary of
the strengths and weaknesses of diaries appears in Table 6.1.

Table 6.1 Strengths and Weaknesses of Diaries
Advantages Disadvantages
Good for understanding how individuals Participants are sometimes not
utilize technology in nonworkplace, introspective and not aware of the specifics
noncontrolled, or on-the-go settings of what they are doing; they may therefore
have trouble recording it in a diary entry
Good for understanding the “why” of
user interaction with a technology or any Participants may not follow through and
technology phenomenon record a sufficient number of entries
More accurate time recording than in a Time recording may be less accurate
survey than in a controlled laboratory setting or
automated data collection
Good for collecting data that is fluid, and
changes over time (such as time, mood, Generally harder to recruit participants for
perception, or response) a diary study than for a less intrusive study,
such as a survey
The limited gap between an event
happening and it being recorded can help Since data is both qualitative and
limit the impact of individual personality on quantitative, data analysis may take a long
interpretation of what occurred time
Good for collecting user-defined data (e.g., Hard to strike a balance between a
when a user intended to perform an action frequent-enough series of diary entries
but did not do so) and infringement on daily activities (user
participation may then trail off)

Diaries can investigate the use of technology that exists at multiple stages:
• Technology that does not exist yet but could (where researchers investigate
communication or information usage patterns, separate from the
technology).
• Technology that exists but needs to be improved (how people use existing
technology).
• Prototypes of new technology that need to be evaluated.