Wednesday
Room 1
16:20 - 17:20
(UTC+01)
Talk (60 min)
(Ab)user Experience: The dark side of Product and Security
Security can often feel like an unapproachable and mysterious part of an organisation – the department of work prevention, the department of “nope.” But it doesn’t have to be that way.
In this talk we will look at the unintended users of a product, the “threat agents”.
By engaging the Security team in the Product process, we can model the dark side of use cases and user stories through threat modelling techniques. This can help demystify impenetrable security NFRs through concrete examples of how these threat agents may try to misuse your shiny new digital product.
Who this event will benefit
Those building products/apps exposed to the web
People who are wanting to build out an awareness of the possible attack vector use cases (i.e. how might you be attacked)
People who need to write that down as a set of requirements to help build a DevSecOps approach in projects
Lianne Potter
When you follow the cables, behind every piece of tech is a person, consumer and creator, and we should never lose sight of this.
Lianne is an award-winning digital anthropologist and technologists specialising in software engineering, cybersecurity and AI. Lianne’s speaking specialism is to deliver talks that not only challenge audiences, but change them.
She provides strategic consultancy to help organisations build and transform security operations into resilient, forward-thinking teams. As former Head of SecOps for Europe’s largest greenfield technology transformation, she established a cutting-edge security function that set new industry benchmarks through innovation and collaboration.
An international keynote speaker, Lianne bridges cybersecurity, technology, and anthropology, drawing on her experience as both a security-focused software developer and practicing anthropologist. Currently pursuing an MSc in AI and Data Science, her research focuses on AI safety, alignment, and the societal implications of emerging technologies.
Recognised with accolades including Security Specialist of the Year and Cybersecurity Personality of the Year, she also champions diversity and inclusion in tech through community initiatives, publications, and her award-winning podcast Compromising Positions. Each week, she interviews experts from anthropology, psychology, and behavioural science to explore how human culture shapes cybersecurity.
Jeff Watkins
Jeff Watkins is the Chief Technology Officer at CreateFuture, the award-winning digital consultancy formed from the 2024 union of CreateFuture and xDesign, where he previously served as Chief Product & Technology Officer. In this dual-hat role, he steered multi-disciplinary teams across AI strategy, product engineering and cloud, turning bold ideas into secure, human-centred digital experiences for big-name brands.
Jeff has founded multiple cybersecurity teams and now champions “secure-by-design” practices for generative-AI solutions, weaving threat modelling and ethics into every project. He holds an MSc in Cybersecurity, is midway through a second Master’s in Artificial Intelligence, and leads CreateFuture’s AI Enablement practice, helping clients move from hype to production-grade AI safely and at pace.
He’s a self-confessed “lifetime technologist”, having written his first lines of code at the age of six! A veteran chief engineer, architect, and former tech lead at AND Digital and BJSS, Jeff draws on over 25 years of experience in financial services, healthcare, and retail to translate complex problems into breakthrough, user-loved products used by millions globally.
On the international circuit, Jeff is a sought-after keynote speaker, headlining Webinale (Berlin), AppDevCon (Amsterdam), the International JavaScript Conference (London), and Edinburgh Napier’s PlusEquals5 summit. Audiences value his frank, story-driven take on where AI and cybersecurity collide with culture.
He co-hosts the multi-award-winning “Compromising Positions” podcast, grilling psychologists, anthropologists and UX gurus for outsider perspectives on security. Jeff’s thought-leadership has appeared in Wired, Forbes, Raconteur, IT Pro, Business Cloud and Information Age, and he’s a regular voice for the wider industry press.
Whether mentoring the next generation of tech leaders, coding proofs-of-concept or demystifying CyberSecurity and AI on stage, Jeff’s mission is constant: build technology that elevates people, not the other way around.