EchoUser | UX Research & Design Agency

Diary Studies

Diary studies track users and product use over time.

They provide a rich insights across a long timeline that otherwise are missed in short design cycles.

Used in development phases:

Related services:

Featured

Highlight case studies and blog stories associated with Diary Studies.

Autodesk UX Partnership

Long term UX support

A long standing partnership providing UX expertise across multiple years and product lines.

Tendril User Research

Behavioral Energy Patterns

Conducting contextual interviews to create personas that help an energy company understand their users.

Stitcher Iterative Test & Design

The RITE Method for Internet Radio

Iteratively mining for the”A-ha!” moment, the key point where a user goes from casual to habitual.

Collections

Domain and method sample work that commonly utilize Diary Studies service.

Any Experience

Everything is a human experience. Apply UX to anything.

Case

RoboCam: The Social Robot

Industrial Design & Robotics

RoboSystems Industrial Design. Interaction Design. User Interviews.

Story

Designing for Death

David Bowie's passing was a unique experience, as he released his final album, Blackstar, just days before. Rather than mourning, his fans celebrate his life and new work. His farewell feels more like a celebration, providing a sense of peace for those coping with the loss.

January 13, 2016

Common service:

Contextual Inquiry

Contextual Inquiry is observing users in natural environments for overall insights on real product use.

It helps identify challenges beyond hyper-focused design & development.

Case

Got Food?

EchoUser Labs

EchoUserConceptual Modeling. Contextual Inquiry. Interaction Design.

Notable value:

Optimism

In nearly all situations, you can choose your attitude. Choose to be optimistic and positive.

Story

Experience Innovators: Babyscripts on the Quantified Pregnancy Experience

Here at EchoUser, we love to tackle Any Experience, and we’re always inspired by novel ways of interacting with people, products, and places. We also get to meet a lot of the people who are crafting those experiences, and in this occasional series of interviews with experience innovators, we want to share their insights with you.

April 6, 2015

Story

Transit Behavior Design

Taipei's MRT metro offers a better experience than San Francisco's Muni due to cleanliness, efficient queuing, priority seating, and safety measures. Implementing simple changes like color-coded seats, floor markings, and more handholds can significantly improve public transit experiences.

June 1, 2016

Start-ups

Growth businesses need UX that can adapt to evolving needs.

Case

Drivescale Composable Infrastructure

Power and Flexibility through UX

DrivescaleConceptual Modeling. Full-Service. Interaction Design.

Case

Stitcher Iterative Test & Design

The RITE Method for Internet Radio

StitcherDiary Studies. Prototyping. RITE - Rapid Iteration.

Notable value:

Grit

Infuse passion, fortitude, and determination into getting things done. Hard work creates talent.

Story

The step by step guide of running an ideation workshop

I recently co-facilitated an ideation workshop at Emerson, where we used activities to generate innovative solutions. In this summary, I'll share the workshop's purpose, key aspects, and some tips for running a successful event. We aimed to align everyone's goals, encourage divergent thinking, and gain real-time input from participants.

May 8, 2019

Common service:

Personas

Personas are patterns of insights across user types based on real users.

They are a reference to help make design decisions and keep the user at the center of the design process.

Common service:

Journey Maps

Journey Maps are timeline visualizations of using a product to help broad understanding.

They highlight issues & opportunities for key personas across different stages.

Case

Mighty: Investment Management

Start-up Fintech Design

MightyContextual Inquiry. Conceptual Modeling. Interaction Design.

Common service:

Conceptual Modeling

A conceptual model is a simplified representation of relationships & hierarchy for a product or service.

It helps designers think of high level solutions and guide detailed design direction.

Notable value:

Creative Spirit

Diversity, curiosity, and adventure give us perspective. Get out there and pursue life.

Gaming

Case

Optimizing Nordeus Player Experience

Gaming Heuristics & Usability

NordeusDesign Review. Diary Studies. Usability Testing.

Case

Badland - Mobile Gaming Experience

Optimizing First-Time Play

HypeHypeDesign Review. Usability Testing. User Interviews.

Common service:

Sprints

A time-constrained, structured process for rapid ideation and design with cross-functional groups to work on a specific problem or opportunity.

Typically conducted in 3-5 days to set a baseline for further user-centered design and development.

Story

The User Experience of Pokémon Go

Pokémon Go's success stems from smart design choices and constant iteration. Niantic crafted an accessible experience by layering complexity, allowing users to engage at their desired level. Design choices encouraged social interaction, and Niantic's commitment to ongoing improvement solidified its popularity.

August 9, 2016

Notable value:

Empathy

Our core essence. Act with integrity, respect, and self awareness. Have this for our clients, our work, each other, and ourselves.

Story

Why Designers Love the Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch excels in user experience due to its seamless design, perfect size, fast boot-up, and broad appeal. Its fun concept, social gaming features, and game design resonate with users. Future possibilities include Switch variants and further exploration of mobile gaming.

October 14, 2017

Health

Story

Healthcare innovation has never been more important

Healthcare innovation is essential in today's world, as demonstrated by the rapid virtual healthcare advancements due to COVID-19. EchoUser's involvement in healthcare projects with companies like Akili Interactive, Varian Medical Systems, and iRhythm emphasizes the importance of human-centered research and design, leading to improvements in patient care, treatment accessibility, and overall experience.

August 6, 2020

Story

The Blood Draw Experience

As an experienced professional in the field of User Experience, I genuinely appreciate Quest Diagnostics' meticulous execution of their digital interface for blood draw services, skillfully integrating elements such as online appointment scheduling, reminders, and onsite check-ins.

July 19, 2023

Notable value:

Empathy

Our core essence. Act with integrity, respect, and self awareness. Have this for our clients, our work, each other, and ourselves.

Case

Varian TrueBeam: Human Factors Benchmarking

Standardizing Varian FDA Testing

VarianHuman Factors. Usability Testing.

Common service:

Usability Testing

Usability test a product early to quickly validate ideas, and test later to establish benchmarks. Continuously probe uncertainty throughout the process.

This applies to any development format: paper, wireframes, mockups, prototypes, and live products.

Story

Experience Innovators: Babyscripts on the Quantified Pregnancy Experience

Castlight HealthInteraction Design. Usability Testing.

Case

Castlight Health

User Retention

Castlight HealthInteraction Design. Usability Testing.

Education

Case

Gooru Education Experiences

Full Service Design & Research

GooruConceptual Modeling. Contextual Inquiry. Full-Service.

Case

Children's Day School

Design Through Play

Children's Day SchoolPrototyping. Training. User Interviews.

Notable value:

Growth Mindset

Have capacity to learn from everything we do. Practice deliberately and explore growing your craft ever further.

Case

Boulder Diversity Lab

Design Sprint Workshop

SHYFTcoTraining. Workshops.

Common service:

Workshops

Workshops are hands-on group sessions. They have many uses to spur design thinking and share knowledge.

Visioning, training, brainstorming, design sprints, project debriefs and more.

Story

Educating Clients in my UX Practice

At EchoUser, I've encountered organizations with varying levels of "UX Maturity." Some teams require more support, focusing on building capacity for UX by involving everyone in the process. Workshops offering hands-on experience can democratize UX, leading to a broader impact. This holds true for mature organizations as well, even with their extensive UX appreciation.

February 3, 2020

Trailblazing, on Earth, in Space, and beyond

Case

RoboCam: The Social Robot

Industrial Design & Robotics

RoboSystems Industrial Design. Interaction Design. User Interviews.

Story

Hack Space. Save Planet Earth.

EchoUser has partnered with NASA's Asteroid Grand Challenge to organize the Asteroid Hackathon, inviting designers, engineers, and astronomers to turn asteroid data into digestible information for citizen scientists. The winning team will receive a cash prize to further develop their idea.

August 11, 2014

Common service:

Workshops

Workshops are hands-on group sessions. They have many uses to spur design thinking and share knowledge.

Visioning, training, brainstorming, design sprints, project debriefs and more.

Story

#InnovateEarthquakes

I recently participated in a meeting on innovating for disasters, with futurists, scientists, engineers, and designers. As a graphic note taker, I captured the day's discussions. We focused on earthquake preparedness, the role of fear in disasters, and how design can improve disaster situations.

June 23, 2014

Notable value:

Creative Spirit

Diversity, curiosity, and adventure give us perspective. Get out there and pursue life.

Story

Asteroid Design Jam at EchoUser

We held a design jam at EchoUser HQ to distill asteroid data into intelligible information for the general public. Teams brainstormed creative ideas such as a game, an innovative website approach, a race to raise awareness and funding, and a basic platform. The jam was a success and a springboard for the upcoming Asteroid Hackathon event.

August 22, 2014

Story

Live Sketching at NASA's Big Think

At NASA's Big Think conference, we used graphic facilitation to capture presentations on human-computer interaction and user perspective in space-related fields. This method promotes active listening, visualizes information, helps revisiting information, and summarizes findings, making complex data more digestible and memorable.

February 20, 2017