Process
The abductive research loop in four steps
Four steps for combining inductive and deductive research in one cycle: a small open-ended pilot, a draft framework built from its codes, a larger structured study that tests it, and a return to the cases that did not fit. It suits product and UX teams who need discovery and a defensible answer from the same project. Koji studies can mix open and structured questions, so the pilot and the scale-up can run on the same setup.
Where this appears
What's in this process
- Inductive pilot with 10 to 15 people: Open-ended interviews to surface the themes you do not know exist yet.
- Code, cluster, draft a framework: Stay close to the data and build a tentative model from what you found.
- Deductive study with 50 to 200 people: Turn the framework into structured questions and a coding frame, then test it at scale.
- Reopen the cases that do not fit: Go back to the misfits inductively. They often show the boundary condition for the next round.
Use this image
Free to use in your docs, decks and posts under CC BY 4.0, as long as you credit Koji with a link to this page. To embed it, paste this into your page:
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<a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/abductive-research-loop-four-steps"><img src="https://www.koji.so/visuals/abductive-research-loop-four-steps/abductive-research-loop-four-steps.png" alt="Process showing the abductive research loop: an inductive pilot of 10 to 15, a draft framework, a deductive study of 50 to 200, then the misfits." width="1200" height="630" /></a>
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/abductive-research-loop-four-steps">The abductive research loop in four steps</a>, Koji</p>
