FAQs
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What is AI-moderated research?
AI-moderated research uses a AI to run live qualitative interviews at scale. The AI asks questions, listens to each answer, and asks follow-up questions based on what a participants say and do. If someone gives a vague answer, the AI asks for more detail. If what they say doesn’t match their action, the AI chases down that thread. Teams use this to get more conversational depth without needing more bandwidth from the research team.
How does this compare to open-ended survey questions?
Outset goes far beyond traditional open-ended survey questions. Instead of static prompts, Outset conducts dynamic, conversational interviews that ask smart follow-ups in real time uncovering context, nuance, and emotion that surveys typically miss. The result is richer insights, faster synthesis, and compressed timelines from research to decision-making.
Does Outset support enterprise research teams?
Yes. Outset is built to support enterprise-scale research, from high-volume studies to complex stakeholder environments. Teams use Outset to run hundreds or thousands of interviews in parallel, across products, markets, and languages, without sacrificing depth or rigor. The platform is designed to meet enterprise standards for security, governance, and scalability.
We need help recruiting participants. Can Outset help?
Yes. Outset supports participant recruitment directly within the platform. We offer 25+ native panel integrations, such as User Interviews and Prolific, plus partners like Respondent, Rally, and GMO-Z.com Research for niche audiences and additional flexibility. Teams can also bring their own participant lists if preferred, all within a single research workflow.
I have a unique analysis process. Can I export this data?
Absolutely. Outset is designed to fit into existing research and analysis workflows. You can export transcripts, reports, CSVs, and audio or video highlight reels. This includes screen-share recordings and image-based sessions captured through Visual Intelligence. Outset also integrates directly with Dovetail, making it easy to move research data into your broader qualitative analysis ecosystem.
Can I control how the AI moderator asks questions and probes for depth?
Yes. You control the discussion guide, the probing depth, and the moderator's style. You can add branching logic and skip patterns for more complex studies. Teams can also save moderator styles into shared libraries, so a new researcher can run a study with the same tone and rigor as a senior one. The AI follows your methodology.
Is this as good as a human interview?
Outset is different from a human interviewer and powerful in ways humans can’t be. While a human can only run one interview at a time, Outset can conduct hundreds simultaneously, in over 40 languages, with consistent quality and no interviewer bias. Teams use Outset to get closer to customers, faster, while maintaining depth at a scale that isn’t feasible with traditional 1:1 interviews.
Is my data safe with your platform?
Yes. Outset is built with enterprise-grade security and privacy at its core. We are SOC 2 Type II and ISO 42001 certified; GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA compliant. Participant data can be collected anonymously, and customers can request data deletion at any time.
Learn more on our Security page.
We are sensitive about our users’ data. How do we send participants to Outset without sharing PII?
Outset does not require participant PII. Participants can join interviews anonymously, do not need an Outset account, and we do not collect participant email addresses. Any metadata is gathered only through optional screeners, and customers can request participant data deletion at any time, for any reason.
How do we provide incentives to participants through Outset?
Participant incentives are handled through our panel partners. Outset customers can pre-load research funds, making recruitment as simple as specifying participant criteria and clicking “send interview.” This keeps incentives seamless for participants while reducing operational overhead for research teams.
