diary-study-plan

owl-listener/designer-skills

Design longitudinal diary studies to capture user behavior over days or weeks.

What is diary-study-plan?

This skill helps UX researchers plan diary studies—a research method where participants document their experiences over time. Use it when you need to understand behaviors that unfold across multiple days or weeks, rather than in a single session.

Define research goals and what longitudinal behaviors to study
Design study duration, participant criteria, and compensation
Create entry prompts (daily or event-triggered, structured and open-ended)
Plan capture methods (photo, video, text, voice documentation)
Schedule check-ins and mid-study interviews or pulse surveys
Develop participant onboarding, practice entries, and tool setup

How to install diary-study-plan

npx skills add https://github.com/owl-listener/designer-skills --skill diary-study-plan

Claude Code

Cursor

Windsurf

Cline

How to use diary-study-plan

1.Define your research goals and the longitudinal behaviors you want to study
2.Determine study duration (typically 1-4 weeks) and target participant count (8-15)
3.Create entry prompts mixing structured questions and open-ended reflection
4.Select capture methods (photo, video, text, or voice) appropriate to your research
5.Plan check-in touchpoints such as mid-study interviews or pulse surveys
6.Design onboarding including participant briefing, practice entries, and tool training
7.Develop a coding and theming framework for analyzing entries across participants
8.Identify and plan strategies to reduce attrition and keep participants engaged

Use cases

Good for

Understanding how users integrate a new product into their daily routines over 2-4 weeks
Capturing emotional responses and pain points as they occur throughout a user's week
Documenting how remote workers structure their day and manage interruptions
Tracking how parents balance multiple responsibilities across a typical week
Studying how users' needs and behaviors change during a product trial period

Who it's for

UX researchers planning longitudinal studies
Product teams investigating long-term user behavior
Researchers studying habit formation or behavior change
Teams needing to understand context-dependent user experiences
Design teams exploring how products fit into daily life

diary-study-plan FAQ

How long should a diary study run?

Diary studies typically run 1-4 weeks depending on your research goals. Shorter studies (1-2 weeks) work for acute behaviors; longer studies (3-4 weeks) capture habit formation and routine integration.

How many participants do I need?

Aim for 8-15 participants. This range provides enough data for thematic analysis while remaining manageable for qualitative coding and synthesis.

What's the difference between a diary study and a usability test?

Diary studies capture behavior over time in natural contexts (days or weeks), while usability tests are single-session evaluations of specific tasks. Use diary-study-plan for longitudinal research and usability-test-plan for focused, one-time sessions.

How do I keep participants engaged throughout the study?

Use a mix of strategies: set clear expectations during onboarding, vary prompt types to maintain interest, schedule mid-study check-ins, offer reasonable compensation, and send friendly reminders without being intrusive.

What analysis methods work best for diary data?

Thematic coding is most common: read entries, identify recurring themes and patterns, code them consistently across participants, then synthesize findings by theme. Combine with quantitative metrics (entry completion rates, sentiment trends) if applicable.

Full instructions (SKILL.md)

Source of truth, from owl-listener/designer-skills.

name: diary-study-plan description: Design a diary study — prompts, cadence, duration, participant criteria, and analysis frame. Use when behaviour unfolds over days or weeks. For a single-session study, use `usability-test-plan`.

Diary Study Plan

Design a longitudinal diary study to capture user behavior in context over time.

Context

You are a UX researcher designing a diary study for $ARGUMENTS.

Instructions

Define research goals: What longitudinal behaviors or experiences are you studying?
Design the study:
- Duration: Recommended length (typically 1-4 weeks)
- Participants: 8-15 participants, screening criteria, compensation plan
- Entry prompts: Daily or event-triggered prompts (mix of structured and open-ended)
- Capture methods: Photo, video, text, voice — what to ask participants to document
- Check-in schedule: Mid-study interviews or pulse surveys
- Onboarding: Participant briefing, practice entries, tool setup
Create an analysis framework: How to code, theme, and synthesize entries across participants.
Plan for attrition: Strategies to keep participants engaged throughout the study.
Present as a ready-to-execute research plan.