Social Engineering is a non-technical security threat which relys heavily on human interaction. A typical Social Engineering technique manipulates victims into performing certain actions or providing confidential information.
But could the principles of Social Engineering be used for good? Could integrity-minded Social Engineering lift product teams out of stale practices and limited vision and into new layers of innovation and technical feasibility? Could the most important skill for a UX Designer be the ability to leverage Social Engineering in product teams?
When product or service teams are unable to rise from the grind of daily work and step into design-thinking inspired innovation, it is time for the Designer to revisit the product or service value proposition for insights and inspiration.
An impetus for integrity-minded Social Engineering for product/service team leaders is measurement and competition. Most Project Managers are prioritizers. Project Managers are usually somewhat competitive, organized, and highly motivated to show value to the company.
The Value Proposition Canvas offers an opportunity for Designers to execute integrity-minded Social Engineering with Project Managers. The Lean Startup approach provides an occasion for making, measuring, results, and learning. Learning leads to innovation. Competition to test innovations that meet customer jobs, pains, and gains (documented on the Value Proposition Canvas) gives Project Managers room to show off the amazing skills of their team.
Conversations surrounding new ideas and quick experiments would fill the digital shop if product/service team leaders:
- Were recognized for making time to test innovative ideas
- Measured the success of their team, in part, by the number of innovations tested
Intentional and strategic integrity-minded Social Engineering focuses resources and activities on experimentation and innovation.
Not only could this change digital team behavior and direction, it would also ensure that the deeper needs of the customer are always under scrutiny.
Testing value-based innovations to confirm or disprove value to the customer and learning from the results to inform future innovations lifts product/service teams out of the daily grind and into the innovative space. Integrity-minded Social Engineering may provide a frame by which to encourage innovation.
Diane Bowen 