# Sean Smith > Fractional Product Designer & Builder • prev Principal Designer @ Microsoft Location: United States, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/seansmith1 I am actively building AI-powered products, full-time or fractionally, and working hands-on with agentic tools. I design and build end-to-end product experiences from early concept and prototyping through full product release across zero-to-one initiatives, stealth projects, personal apps in development, and experimental prototypes exploring how intelligence can become a core material in products and how systems can collaborate with people rather than simply respond to them. My work leverages Figma, Figma Make, Claude Code, Cursor, and other modern workflows. With over 15 years of experience in product design, including more than a decade at Microsoft, I shaped cross-platform experiences for Outlook as a design leader. I operated in player-coach roles setting design direction, mentoring designers, and staying hands-on in systems, interaction design, and execution. My work spanned large-scale products, zero-to-one initiatives, and integrating AI into core workflows. I care deeply about clarity, quality, and restraint. The work I am drawn to sits at the intersection of thoughtful design, emerging technology, and sustainable product strategy. I am currently exploring fractional or full-time roles and always happy to connect and discuss the future of making. ## Work Experience ### Fractional AI Product Designer & Builder @SeanSmithDesign @ SeanSmithDesign Jan 2025 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area Fractional AI Product Designer & Builder at Sean Smith Design, hands-on in shaping products and experiences from concept to full product release. Designing and building with Claude Code, Cursor, Figma, etc, etc, while advising on product direction, design systems, and rapid experimentation in stealth mode. ### Principal Product Design Leader at Microsoft Outlook @ Microsoft Jan 2025 – Jan 2025 | San Francisco Bay Area - Leading design work on Outlook’s Reading experiences across desktop, mobile, and web; shaping Copilot-powered features and collaborating with partner teams to ensure cross-endpoint cohesion. - Partnering with engineering, product, and AI teams to define interaction models and guide intelligent agent integration. - Operating in a player–coach capacity: contributing IC-level design work while mentoring peers and raising the bar for craft and systems thinking. - Transitioned from managing Outlook Apple & Android to a broader IC leadership role focused on AI integration and cross-platform alignment. ### Principal Product Design Manager - Microsoft Outlook Android & Apple Apps @ Microsoft Jan 2022 – Jan 2025 | San Francisco Bay Area - Managed and grew a team of 11 designers across Outlook Mac and Mobile (iOS, Android, iPadOS, macOS, wearables); contributed directly to design work and decision-making to ensure clarity, craft, and momentum. - Guided design systems and influenced planning cycles, partnering with product and engineering to balance AI priorities with product goals. - Contributed to Copilot initiatives and intelligent experiences across platforms, helping set design direction for AI-powered productivity. - Supported the professional growth of designers at multiple levels, with promotions from mid-level to senior and senior to principal. - Helped drive Outlook Mobile adoption during a period when monthly active users more than doubled. ### Senior Product Design Manager - Microsoft Outlook Android & Apple Apps @ Microsoft Jan 2021 – Jan 2022 | San Francisco Bay Area - Managed and grew a team of 11 designers across Outlook Mac and Mobile (iOS, Android, iPadOS, macOS, wearables); contributed directly to design work and decision-making to ensure clarity, craft, and momentum. - Guided design systems and influenced planning cycles, partnering with product and engineering to balance AI priorities with product goals. - Contributed to Copilot initiatives and intelligent experiences across platforms, helping set design direction for AI-powered productivity. - Supported the professional growth of designers at multiple levels, with promotions from mid-level to senior and senior to principal. - Helped drive Outlook Mobile adoption during a period when monthly active users more than doubled. ### Senior Designer - Microsoft Money in Excel (+Spend + MileIQ) @ Microsoft Jan 2019 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco Bay Area - Contributed to consumer initiatives including Money in Excel, which connected bank and credit card data into Excel through Plaid integrations. - Supported design for MileIQ and SMB apps like Spend, aligning mobile patterns and focusing on clarity and extensibility. - Operated as the primary mobile design lead across multiple product tracks, balancing new initiatives with core product refinement. ### Senior Design Manager at Microsoft MileIQ (MileIQ + Spend) @ Microsoft Jan 2017 – Jan 2019 | San Francisco Bay Area - Led product design for mobile-first products including MileIQ, Spend, Visits, and early experiments focused on automation and reducing friction in everyday tasks. - Managed two designers and partnered across product and engineering to ship focused mobile experiences on iOS and Android. - Scaled and extended core design systems across a growing suite of apps. - Contributed to intelligent interaction models focused on simplifying task-based workflows. ### Senior Designer - Microsoft MileIQ @ Microsoft Jan 2015 – Jan 2017 | San Francisco Bay Area - Led product design for MileIQ on iOS and Android after acquisition, evolving the app while maintaining its simple, intuitive experience. - Took on IC leadership responsibilities as the team grew, contributing to hiring, onboarding, and internal design practices. - Designed early concepts that evolved into adjacent products such as Spend and Visits, laying groundwork for Microsoft’s SMB suite. ### Lead Designer @ MileIQ Jan 2015 – Jan 2015 | San Francisco Bay Area - Joined as MileIQ’s first in-house product designer, refining the core experience and shaping early product strategy with the founders. - Designed new SMB apps and created early systems that supported product expansion and readiness for acquisition. - Played a central design role during the lead-up to Microsoft’s acquisition, ensuring design quality and scalability for growth. ### Lead Designer @ Best Apps Market & Fetch Jan 2012 – Jan 2015 | San Francisco Bay Area - Led product design for one of the top independent Android app stores, focused on app discovery and editorial curation. - Implemented Material Design and shipped the front-end UI (XML) for the core Android experience. - Designed and launched *Fetch*, a rebranded version of the product with a new user experience and visual system. ### Freelance Designer @ Self Employed Jan 2008 – Jan 2012 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Designer & co-founder @ Ideum Apparel Jan 2010 – Jan 2012 | San Francisco Bay Area ## Education ### Executive MBA for Creative Leaders in Design MBA Future London Academy ### Graphic Design The Art Institute of California-San Francisco ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seansmithdesign - Portfolio: https://seansmithdesign.com --- Source: https://flows.cv/seansmith1 JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/seansmith1/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13