Activities and entries in a diary study
Studies, activities, and entries are the structural elements of a diary study. Getting these three clear makes guidance when building much easier to follow.
A study is the whole piece of research you're asking participants to complete. Most projects consist of one study.
An activity is a distinct task within that study, with its own instructions, question set, and timeframe. A diary study usually has several.
An entry is what a participant sends you each time they answer all of an activity's questions. Some activities ask for one entry; others ask for the same questions to be answered repeatedly, which is where the diary-style rhythm comes from.
What goes into an entry
In each entry, participants answer the combination of open- and closed-ended questions you've written for that activity, and submit whatever media those questions ask for.
Two limits shape how much you can ask for in a single activity:
Media: An activity can include up to 5 photo questions and 3 video or screen recording questions. Video and screen recording share that limit of three—so three screen recording questions leave no room for a video question. Both limits are counted along any one path through your skip logic, so if different participants see different questions, what matters is the most any single person could be asked.
Questions: Above 15 questions in one activity, Dscout warns you at launch and suggests splitting the work into multiple activities. You can dismiss the warning and launch anyway, but it's usually a sign the activity is doing too much.
Participants don't have to finish an entry in one sitting. If they leave partway through, their progress is saved as a draft they can come back to—which also means you can design an activity that deliberately asks them to go away and do something before continuing.
Activities that ask for a single entry
If you have a specific set of questions you want answered once—more like a survey or an interview guide—set the activity's entry requirement to one. In the example below, participants have been asked to submit a single entry answering a set of five questions.
Activities that ask for multiple entries
You can also design an activity so participants answer one set of questions several times, submitting a new entry each time. This is the pattern that makes a diary study a diary study: the same questions, asked repeatedly, capturing a different moment each time.
In the example below, participants have been asked for a minimum of three entries to capture different snacking moments. They answer the same four questions each time.
Q1 [VIDEO PROMPT] Take a 30 second video of the snack you're eating right now! (Please make sure you're in a well-lit and quiet space so we can see & hear you clearly!)
Q2 [OPEN END] What is this snack you just showed us?
Q3 [SINGLE SELECT] Which of the following best describes why you chose this snack on this occasion?
Healthiness
Cost
Taste
Convenience
Other (tap to type)
Q4 [SINGLE SELECT] Where are you right now?
Home
Someone else's home
Work/school
On the go/in transit
In another public space
Other (tap to type)
Entries keep coming until you close the study
The number of entries you set is a minimum, not a cap. Participants can submit more if they want to, and they can keep adding entries to any activity they've already finished.