OpenWater End-of-Year Update: UI Progress, AI Support Tool, and What’s Coming in 2026

As we head into the final stretch of 2025, we wanted to share a quick update on where things stand with OpenWater and what you can expect in the coming months.

New UI: Final Testing Phase

Our redesigned user interface is in its final stage before release. We’re currently conducting thorough bug testing and getting our support team fully trained on the new system. This is the last step before we roll it out to clients, and we’re committed to making sure the transition is as smooth as possible.

Introducing Aiden: AI Support for Unsupported Admins

We’ve always structured our support around a dedicated representative for each organization’s primary administrator (the supported admin). This model ensures personalized service and deep familiarity with your program. However, we recognize that unsupported admins—the additional team members who have platform access—have historically needed to rely on either the supported admin for training or navigate the Help Center on their own.

With the latest developments in Intercom’s AI capabilities, we’re now ready to offer a new resource: an AI support bot named Aiden.

Starting now, when unsupported admins log into OpenWater, they’ll see a blue chat icon in the bottom right corner. Clicking it connects them with Aiden, who can answer questions, provide guidance, and help them navigate the platform. The bot learns and improves with each interaction, so we encourage unsupported admins to try it out.

Important note: Supported admins will continue to work directly with their dedicated human support representative. Aiden is exclusively available to unsupported admins to give them an additional resource without changing the personalized support structure our clients value.

What’s Next: 2026 Pipeline

We remain on track to release AI-powered features in the next couple of months, including tools for scoring, summaries, and translations. The abstract participant management feature is also progressing on schedule for an early 2026 launch.

We’re excited to kick off 2026 with these significant new capabilities that will make OpenWater more powerful and intuitive for all users.

Laura Rudd

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