Effects of Enhanced Multi-party Tradespace Visualization on a Two-person Negotiation

Previous research has hypothesized that framing remains an uncontrolled variable impacting the performance of stakeholders and analysts engaging in tradespace exploration, with particularly negative consequences expected during multi-stakeholder tradespace exploration (MSTSE). This paper describes an experiment in which subjects engaged in a two-person negotiation using tradespace exploration software, with the goal of choosing a car that they would share. The control group was given a standard tradespace exploration tool and the treatment group was given a modified tool designed to emphasize the relevant multi-stakeholder aspects of the problem. Analysis of the resulting data confirms the original hypothesis that multi-stakeholder visualization can reduce fixation on the individual cost-benefit Pareto front and improve grasp of “true” gains and losses around the best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA) for each participant. Other outcomes and potential future directions for MSTSE experiments are also discussed.