Stress Tests
Ethical "red-teaming" to identify how your system behaves under pressure or malice.
Overview
Optimism is necessary to build, but dangerous to release. The Stress Test is an adversarial service where I actively try to "break" your product—not technically, but socially. I adopt the persona of a bad actor, a confused user, or a marginalized group to see how your system responds. We explore the edge cases: What happens when this feature is used for harassment? What happens when the user has low digital literacy? We find the cracks in the dam before the flood comes.
What You Get
- Vulnerability Report: A catalogue of potential abuse vectors and accidental harms.
- Scenario Planning: "Pre-mortems" for worst-case scenarios, allowing you to build defenses in advance.
- Crisis Playbooks: Drafted response plans for if (or when) things go wrong.
Format & Duration
Duration: 1-2 Week Sprint
Format: adversarial Analysis + Workshop
Best For
This service is ideal for:
- Social platforms launching new interaction features.
- Generative AI tools needing boundaries testing.
- Any product dealing with sensitive user data or vulnerable populations.
Process
- Threat Modeling — We brainstorm potential misuse cases and high-risk user journeys.
- Simulation — I systematically walk through these scenarios, documenting the system's response.
- Fortification — We work together to design friction, guardrails, and reporting mechanisms to mitigate these risks.
Investment
Sprint Fee: Fixed price per sprint.