Indirect observation

This approach might concern using user diaries, or probes. Users are asked to record their thoughts ideas / experiences using some format of diary.

This can be used to gather information about their daily life, or their use of their device, for example.

Can deliver rich data, but you have little control over what is recorded, beyond initial prompts. It can also be disruptive / time consuming for the user.

Pros:

• Cost effective.
• Allows researchers to reach an extremely large number of users.

Cons:

• The data gathered can lack context. We are told a lot about `what` and `when`, a little about `who` and `where`, but hardly anything about `why`.