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Diary

☻Qualitative Method:
Explore how players feel and behave through interviews, observations, and open-ended feedback.

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Best Stage: Mid Development → Post-Launch

Primary Goal:Understanding player behavior, habits, and experiences over time in real-world contexts

Effort: High

Overview

The diary method is a longitudinal research technique where players are asked to regularly log their thoughts, behaviors, and experiences over a set period, typically through written entries, voice notes, or video clips. It’s used to capture in-the-moment reflections and uncover patterns that might not show up in one-time interviews or playtests.

 

In games, the diary method helps researchers understand:

  • How player engagement changes over time

    (e.g., “What made you come back today?”)

  • Emotional highs and lows

    (e.g., frustration with a boss, satisfaction with leveling up)

  • Progression and pacing

    (e.g., “How long did it take to unlock X?”)

  • Retention motivations

    (e.g., “Why did you skip playing yesterday?”)

  • Social and contextual play patterns

    (e.g., “Did you play alone or with friends?”)

How It Works

  1. Recruit players and set expectations (e.g., log once a day for a week).

  2. Provide prompts or tasks, such as:

    • “What did you do in the game today?”

    • “What was the best and worst part of your session?”

    • “How do you feel about the game right now?”

  3. Collect entries through Notion, Google Forms, video logs, or dedicated diary study tools.

  4. Analyze trends in emotions, engagement, behavior, and drop-off.

Resources:

Hillman, S., Stach, T., Procyk, J., & Zammitto, V. (2016, May). Diary methods in AAA games user research. In CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Extended Abstracts) (pp. 1879–1885). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/2851581.2892316

Nielsen Norman Group. (n.d.). Diary studies: When and how to use them. Nielsen Norman Group. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/diary-studies/

EthosApp. (2024). Mastering UX diary research: A comprehensive guide to understanding user experiences over time. EthosApp. https://ethosapp.com/blog/mastering-ux-diary-research-a-comprehensive-guide-to-understanding-user-experiences-over-time/

Tools & Templates

Loop Panel article
Loop Panel. (n.d.). Diary study tools: A guide to the best tools for diary studies. Loop Panel. https://www.looppanel.com/blog/diary-study-tools



 

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