A studio interview may miss the moments when a personal object is selected, moved or put away. Participant-led documentation can reveal another part of the experience.
IDEO.org describes photojournals as a way for people to document aspects of their own lives. IDEO.org Design Kit — Photojournal.
Agree on the scope
For a character-display study, define the activity being documented and appropriate privacy boundaries. Do not ask participants to expose unrelated people or private records.
Discuss the selected moments
Ask why each image was taken and what happened outside the frame. The selection reflects the participant's judgment as well as the routine itself. Combine the explanation with other research rather than treating the photographs as a complete or representative record of behaviour.
Source reviewed 25 October 2026. Interpretation and original diagrams: PLUSHIP / Qunhe. Examples are illustrative.
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