User Guide

Welcome to Resolver – your AI-powered negotiation and conflict resolution training platform. This guide will help you get the most out of your practice sessions.

🚀 Getting Started

### What is Resolver? Resolver is an AI-powered platform for practicing negotiation and conflict resolution skills. You'll engage in realistic roleplay scenarios with an AI counterpart that adapts to your responses, providing immediate feedback and performance tracking. ### System Requirements - **Browser**: Chrome, Edge, or Safari (latest versions) - **Microphone**: Required for Audio and Video modes - **Camera**: Required for Video mode with emotion analysis - **Internet**: Stable connection for AI responses

🎭 Choosing Your Practice Mode

💬

Text Mode

Type your responses and read AI replies. Perfect for thoughtful, deliberate practice. No microphone needed.

Best for: Beginners, quiet environments, detailed responses

🎤

Audio Mode

Speak naturally and hear AI responses. Develops verbal fluency and real-time thinking.

Best for: Practicing verbal delivery, building confidence

🎙️

Audio + Emotion

Audio mode with facial emotion tracking. See how your expressions affect negotiations.

Best for: Understanding emotional impact

🎥

Video Mode

Full immersion with 3D avatar counterpart. The closest to a real negotiation experience.

Best for: Advanced practice, presentation skills

📊

Video + Emotion

Complete experience with emotion analysis overlay. Track your emotional patterns in real-time.

Best for: Comprehensive training, self-awareness

⚔️

Challenge Mode

High-stakes scenarios with time pressure, adversarial tactics, and unexpected twists.

Best for: Testing skills under pressure

📝 Starting a Roleplay Session

Select a Mode – Choose from Text, Audio, or Video based on your practice goals
Choose a Scenario – Pick from preset scenarios or create your own custom situation
Click "Begin Roleplay" – The AI counterpart will start the conversation
Respond Naturally – Type or speak your response
Continue the Dialogue – Build toward a resolution or agreement
End & Get Feedback – Click to receive detailed performance analysis

💡 Pro Tip: Start with Text Mode to familiarize yourself with scenarios, then progress to Audio and Video modes as you gain confidence.

⏱️ Response Timer

During roleplay, you'll see a Response Timer showing how long you're taking to respond.

Understanding the Timer

| Timer Color | Meaning | |-------------|---------| | 🟢 **Green** | Plenty of time remaining | | 🟡 **Yellow** | Approaching time limit | | 🟠 **Orange** | Time running low | | 🔴 **Red** | Over the target time | The timer helps you practice responding under time pressure, simulating real negotiations where quick thinking matters.

Default Target: 60 seconds for standard scenarios, 30-45 seconds for Challenge Mode

💡 Pro Tip: Don't rush just to beat the timer. Quality matters more than speed. Use the timer to develop awareness of your pacing.

📈 Auto-Difficulty Scaling

Resolver automatically adjusts the AI's difficulty based on your performance.

How It Works

The system tracks: - **Response times** – How quickly you respond - **Response quality** – Word count and engagement level - **Consistency** – Patterns across multiple exchanges After every 3 turns, the difficulty may adjust: | Level | AI Behavior | |-------|-------------| | 🌱 **Supportive** | Patient, gives hints, simpler language | | ⚖️ **Standard** | Balanced challenge and guidance | | 💪 **Challenging** | More assertive, pushes back on arguments | | 🎯 **Expert** | Highly assertive, uses advanced tactics |

💡 Pro Tip: If you see a notification "📈 Challenge increasing..." – great job! You're performing well. If you see "📉 Adjusting pace..." – take your time and focus on quality.

🔄 Replay with Variations

Practice the same scenario with different AI personalities to develop adaptability.

Available Variations

| Variation | Description | |-----------|-------------| | 💪 **Aggressive** | Confrontational, pressure tactics | | 🤝 **Cooperative** | Open to compromise, win-win focused | | 😤 **Emotional** | Passionate, reactive to perceived slights | | 🧮 **Analytical** | Data-driven, requests evidence | | 🎲 **Unpredictable** | Erratic, changes positions suddenly | | ⏰ **Time Pressure** | Creates urgency, references deadlines |

How to Use

1. Complete a roleplay session 2. Click the **🔄 Restart** button 3. Select a variation from the popup 4. Practice the same scenario with a new AI personality

💡 Pro Tip: After mastering a scenario normally, try it with the "Aggressive" variation. Learning to stay calm under pressure is a crucial negotiation skill.

📝 Transcript Analytics

After completing a session, you'll receive line-by-line feedback on each of your responses.

What You'll See

Each response gets: - **Rating badge** – Strong, Good, Fair, or Weak - **Tactic identification** – Which negotiation technique you used - **Specific feedback** – What worked or didn't - **Improvement suggestion** – What to try next time Plus an **Overall Pattern Analysis** summarizing your negotiation style.

💡 Pro Tip: Pay attention to patterns. If multiple responses get "Fair" ratings for the same reason, that's an area to focus on improving.

📊 Performance Dashboard

Track your progress over time at AI Tools → Performance Dashboard.

Dashboard Features

- **Total Sessions** – How many roleplays you've completed - **Practice Time** – Cumulative time spent practicing - **Average Score** – Your overall performance trend - **Best Score** – Your highest achievement - **Skill Progress** – Visual bars for different competencies - **Recent Sessions** – Your last 10 sessions with scores

Saving Your Progress

⚠️ Local Storage Mode: By default, your data is stored in your browser. To track progress across devices, enter your email or student ID in the dashboard.

⚔️ Challenge Mode

For advanced practice, try Challenge Mode with high-stakes scenarios.

### Challenge Categories | Category | Description | |----------|-------------| | 🚨 **Crisis Scenarios** | Hostage negotiations, emergency situations | | 👥 **Multi-Party** | Multiple stakeholders with competing interests | | 🦈 **Adversarial** | Aggressive counterparts using hardball tactics | | ⚖️ **Ethical Dilemmas** | Morally complex situations | | ⏰ **Time Pressure** | Real countdown timers | | 🌍 **Cross-Cultural** | Different negotiation norms and expectations | | 💣 **Mid-Negotiation Bombshells** | Unexpected revelations mid-conversation | | 🤝 **Coalition Building** | Building consensus among multiple parties | ### Tips for Challenge Mode 1. **Stay calm** – Pressure is designed to test your composure 2. **Listen actively** – Important information may be hidden in dialogue 3. **Adapt quickly** – Be ready to change strategies 4. **Manage time** – Keep an eye on the timer

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

| Shortcut | Action | |----------|--------| | Spacebar | Start/stop listening (Audio mode) | | Enter | Send message (Text mode) | | Esc | Cancel current action |

🎯 Tips for Effective Practice

### Before You Start - 🎧 Use headphones to prevent echo (Audio/Video modes) - 📍 Find a quiet space - 🧠 Review the scenario description before beginning ### During the Session - 👂 Listen/read carefully before responding - 🎯 Focus on interests, not positions - ❓ Ask clarifying questions - 📝 Take mental notes of key points - ⏸️ It's OK to pause and think ### After the Session - 📊 Review your transcript analytics - 🔄 Try the same scenario with a different variation - 📈 Check your dashboard for trends - ✍️ Note areas for improvement

❓ Troubleshooting

Common Issues

**Microphone not working?** - Check browser permissions (click the lock icon in the address bar) - Ensure your microphone is selected in system settings - Try refreshing the page **AI not responding?** - Check your internet connection - Wait a few seconds – responses may take 5-10 seconds - If stuck, click "New Scenario" to reset **Video not loading?** - Ensure camera permissions are granted - Check that no other app is using the camera - Try a different browser **Timer not showing?** - Ensure JavaScript is enabled - Try clearing browser cache and refreshing

📚 Additional Resources

Negotiation Tactics – Learn specific techniques
Conflict Styles Inventory – Discover your natural style
Quick Reference – At-a-glance tactics guide
Negotiation Coach – Get AI advice on specific situations

Ready to Practice?

Choose a mode and start improving your negotiation skills today.

Start a Roleplay →