Negotiations suck. Be it for a job, for a car, or a simply a decision with the missus. They’re awkward, they twist the truth, and they make you feel inhuman. And then there’s the even more awkward situation when you’re witnessing a negotiation, but not actually a part of it. I remember my dad negotiating his medical bill with a doctor once. I’ve never been so embarrassed.

So, what do we do? Let it go on without intervention like it has for ages? Nah. It’s a design challenge.

What if there was an app that let you digitally negotiate? A digital napkin across the table so to speak. You could thoughtfully explain your rationale in 160 characters or less; sometimes a brief overview of your rationale is better than a soliloquy. After three rounds, you’d have to come to an agreement, part ways, or seek third party guidance (the app maker!). More business, less beating around the bush. At the very least, this would take away the power plays and tenuous interpretation of body language. Not to mention remove the stress of being in the same room with your foe.

I’m not saying I have it figured out, but maybe it’s time to explore some options for important negotiations like jobs and cars and the like. What about extending the agent role to mid-level managers -- professional negotiators who get paid when you get paid? What if a third party facilitator calls you out if you’re not playing by the rules? What if we actually just negotiated honestly and to the point? What if we approached negotiations with a high level of empathetic awareness? What if there was an empathy metric to keep us accountable? What if jobs, cars, etc. were no longer negotiable, but market-driven, like going the grocery store?

What if we could make negotiations suck less? I’d be all for it.