The day in the life exercise used to conduct a study that will provide a broad and contextual insight into the lives and daily routines of potential product users. The difference between day in the life and other research methods used to study the relation of the product and the customer needs is that it doesn’t solely revolve around the use of the product. Instead, it takes a step back and zooms out to provide a wide-angle perspective on user experience which may not necessarily be directly related to the product.
Implementing the day in the life technique involves tracking and detailing all sorts of daily activities of the user and should produce information from all aspects of their life. This includes describing the participant’s specific daily routines, such as working, commuting, self-care, leisure, and others.
Also, the researcher
should monitor what they do at certain times of the day – when they get up in the morning, after work, before going to bed, etc. Finally, a Day in the Life study should provide information on how products and related processes fit into users’ daily life. For example, how they use their phone, how they order products or services, or how their workplace is set up.
When properly conducted, the research should also take note of the customer’s emotions and how they deal with them. As you can see, these activities are not directly related to product testing and use, but rather aim to deliver an in-depth understanding of who the user is.
The goal is to have a clear view of the day in the life of activity that users may perform by sheer habit and, based on that, understand how the product that is being developed will fit into their daily life. This insight is gained by eliciting interactions at various interaction points between the user and the proposed solution within the context of their regular daily routines.
Besides exploring the experience of a target customer who will be using the product or service you’re creating, the day in the life method is also useful in identifying potential opportunities. The research may reveal specific problems or needs of the user for which they currently have no solution.
Plus, it’s a great way to test certain ideas and see how well they perform in a practical environment. Another important aspect of the technique is that it will help identify not only typical users but also non-typical ones and provide an understanding of why they may not use a certain product or service.
