AI prompts for diary studies: planning, screening, analysis, and engagement

These prompts help researchers use AI at each stage of a diary study — from designing daily entry questions to analyzing longitudinal data. Each prompt includes placeholders in [brackets] for you to customize. Paste them into ChatGPT, Claude, or your preferred LLM.

Prompt 1: Diary prompt design

You are a senior UX researcher designing a diary study.

Context:
- Product/service: [describe your product]
- Research objective: [what you want to learn]
- Target behavior: [what participants will be documenting]
- Study duration: [number of days]
- Entry frequency: [how often participants submit entries]

Create a complete set of daily diary prompts for the full study duration. Each day's prompt should include:
1. A context-setting question (where, when, what was happening)
2. A behavior question (what the participant did and why)
3. An emotion/reflection question (how they felt, what surprised them)
4. A media request (photo, screenshot, or video when relevant)

Rules:
- Vary the prompts across days to prevent repetition fatigue
- Early days (1-3): focus on first impressions, context, and current habits
- Middle days: focus on specific interactions, workarounds, and pain points
- Final days: focus on reflection, changes over time, and overall assessment
- Keep each day's prompt completable in under 10 minutes
- Include one "wildcard" prompt mid-study that asks about something unexpected

Prompt 2: Screening questionnaire for diary study participants

I need to recruit participants for a diary study lasting [duration].

Context:
- Product/service: [describe product]
- Research goal: [what you want to learn]
- Target behavior: [what participants need to be doing regularly]
- Entry method: [app, email, web form]

Write a screening questionnaire (10-12 questions) that:
1. Confirms the participant regularly performs the target behavior
2. Assesses their willingness to self-report daily for [duration]
3. Checks comfort with photo/video documentation
4. Includes at least one disqualifying question for non-target users
5. Asks about smartphone access and technical comfort
6. Avoids revealing which answers qualify (to prevent gaming)
7. Ends with availability confirmation and consent to data collection

For each question, note in [brackets] what it screens for and which answers disqualify.

Prompt 3: Diary entry analysis and pattern detection

I have completed a [duration] diary study with [N] participants about [topic]. Below are the diary entries organized by participant and day.

[Paste entries or key excerpts]

Analyze this data across two dimensions:

WITHIN-PARTICIPANT (longitudinal):
1. For each participant, summarize their arc: how did their behavior, emotions, or attitudes change from day 1 to the final day?
2. Identify turning points: moments where something shifted (new habit formed, frustration peaked, workaround discovered)

ACROSS-PARTICIPANTS (thematic):
3. Identify 5-8 recurring themes across all participants
4. For each theme: one-sentence insight, supporting evidence from 2+ participants, and whether the theme appeared early, late, or throughout the study
5. Flag temporal patterns: themes that cluster at specific points (e.g., "confusion peaks on days 2-3 then resolves")
6. Note contradictions between participants or within the same participant over time
7. Highlight 3 unexpected findings

Format insights as: "Observation: [what happened]. Implication: [what it means for the product]."

Prompt 4: Engagement message set for diary study

I am running a diary study that lasts [N] days. Participants submit entries via [platform].

Create a set of [N] daily reminder/engagement messages, one per day. Requirements:
- Day 1: welcoming, sets expectations, references onboarding
- Days 2-4: encouraging, specific focus for each day, brief
- Midpoint: milestone acknowledgment, partial incentive reminder
- Days after midpoint: renewed focus, deeper questions, gratitude
- Final day: wrap-up instructions, what happens next, full incentive info

Rules:
- No two messages should sound the same
- Keep each message under 3 sentences
- Tone: friendly and professional, not corporate
- Include a specific prompt focus for each day (not just "don't forget to submit")
- Never guilt-trip participants for missing entries