> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.dscout.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.dscout.com/diary-studies/create-a-diary-study/design-a-diary-study.md).

# Design a diary study

The hardest part of a diary study isn't building it—it's deciding what to ask for, how often, and over how long. This page covers those decisions. For how to actually configure them, see [Create a diary study](/diary-studies/create-a-diary-study.md).

{% hint style="success" %}
**Tip:** Before you start, it's worth being comfortable with how a study breaks down into activities and entries. See [Activities and entries in a diary study](/diary-studies/what-are-diary-studies-in-dscout/activities-and-entries-in-a-diary-study.md).
{% endhint %}

### Shape each activity around one of five patterns

Most good diary activities look like one of five patterns. Picking one before you start writing questions keeps an activity focused on a single kind of answer—which is usually the difference between entries you can analyze and entries you can't.

![](https://content.gitbook.com/content/IKfn7RcT4CW9XaIbqAdd/blobs/AVueMe1nqfi7e0XAy4rN/360048964351)

#### Moments

Participants capture recurring experiences as they happen, in real time. This usually sounds like: *"Show me every time you…"*

![](https://content.gitbook.com/content/IKfn7RcT4CW9XaIbqAdd/blobs/4Ho5fLEObvxhFxulGSRI/360048964411)

#### Process

Participants document the key moments of a process as they move through it. This usually sounds like: *"Show me your process as you go about…"*

![](https://content.gitbook.com/content/IKfn7RcT4CW9XaIbqAdd/blobs/JOAHU3lYXDbijlNdlXkX/360048964431)

#### Inventory

Participants show you everything they use or own within a topic. This usually sounds like: *"Show me all the ways you…"*

![](https://content.gitbook.com/content/IKfn7RcT4CW9XaIbqAdd/blobs/UrLm6fc29aeIkMOksLIe/360048835592)

#### Reflection

Participants explain their preferences, memories, and motivations. This usually sounds like: *"Show me how you feel about…"*

![](https://content.gitbook.com/content/IKfn7RcT4CW9XaIbqAdd/blobs/T2ITQIyIDjRv4oanPpru/360048964531)

#### Ideation

Participants present their own ideas and suggestions. This usually sounds like: *"Show me your ideas for…"*

![](https://content.gitbook.com/content/IKfn7RcT4CW9XaIbqAdd/blobs/TvNIesMHCO5a9hKM9shO/360048964611)

### Decide your days and entries

Every activity has a number of **days** and a number of **entries**. Together they set the rhythm of your study, and the combination matters more than either number on its own. A few worked examples:

| Activity prompt                                                                                                                                      | Days | Minimum entries |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | --------------- |
| "Show me every time you eat a meal on-the-go this week. Submit a new entry for each meal, explaining where you bought it and how much you liked it." | 7    | 4               |
| "Show me your morning beauty routine by breaking it down into steps. Submit a new entry for each step."                                              | 1    | 3               |
| "Show me your child's 5 favorite mobile apps. Submit a new entry for each app, and tell me what you like or dislike about each one."                 | 3    | 5               |

Things worth thinking through before you commit:

* **Multiply, don't add.** What participants feel is activities × entries × questions. Four entries of six questions is twenty-four answers, and it lands very differently than one entry of twenty-four.
* **Match the window to the behavior.** If you're studying something that happens twice a week, a one-day activity asking for four entries can't be completed honestly—people will batch or invent.
* **Leave room for real life.** Participants miss days. A window slightly longer than strictly necessary gets you better entries than one that forces a scramble.
* **Your activity days should add up to roughly your study length.** The study-level duration and the per-activity days are set separately, so it's easy to end up with a seven-day study containing fourteen days of activities.

### Write instructions that earn good entries

An activity's instructions do more work than its questions. They're what participants read before deciding what to film and when.

* **Say when to submit, not just what.** "Submit an entry each time you make coffee" gets you moments; "tell us about making coffee" gets you one summary.
* **Name the media you expect.** If you want the room in the shot, or the screen rather than the face, say so—people default to a selfie.
* **Put deadlines in the instructions as well as the due date field.** Participants read instructions; they don't always notice dates.
* **Say what a good entry looks like.** One concrete example of the level of detail you want does more than three sentences of guidance.

### Pick the right device for each activity

Because you set the device per activity, you can match each one to where the behavior actually happens—phone for in-the-moment capture, computer for anything involving a website or a larger screen. This also shapes what participants need to have installed. For more information, see [Device options in a diary study](/diary-studies/what-are-diary-studies-in-dscout/device-options-in-a-diary-study.md).

### Before you launch

Test your study on a real device before it goes out. It's the only reliable way to find instructions that read clearly in the builder and confusingly in the app. For more information, see [Test a diary study](/diary-studies/create-a-diary-study/test-a-diary-study.md).

For a full worked example, see [Example of an effective diary study](/diary-studies/what-are-diary-studies-in-dscout/example-of-an-effective-diary-study.md).


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