Sean Smith

Principal Product Design Leader at Microsoft with 15+ years of experience leading cross-platform design for Outlook across mobile, desktop, and AI-powered experiences. I drive high-craft, human-centered product design at scale, with a focus on design systems, emerging tech, and growing diverse, collaborative teams.

Microsoft | 2015 – Present
Design leadership across Outlook and SMB incubation teams, spanning mobile, web, and desktop. Launched AI-driven features, incubated new products, and scaled cross-platform systems.

Microsoft Outlook

Principal Product Design Leader
| May 2025 – Present
  • Transitioned from leading Outlook's Apple & Android Apps to owning cross-endpoint strategy for the Outlook Reading Experience across mobile, desktop, and web — expanding beyond team management to broader IC leadership and AI integration.
  • Lead the Reading experiences across Outlook's desktop, web, and mobile, shaping cohesive experiences across endpoints including Outlook Copilot Summary.
  • Driving a redesign effort under a broader umbrella initiative, collaborating with design systems, and partner teams.
  • Provide mentorship and strategic direction to peers while advancing design cohesion across surfaces.
Principal Product Design Manager
| September 2022 – May 2025
Senior Product Design Manager
| February 2021 – September 2022
  • Managed a team of 11 designers crafting Outlook for Apple & Android Apps for hundreds of millions of daily and monthly active users.
  • Operated in a coach/player model—leading design projects, mentoring, and guiding as needed.
  • Drove team growth and resourcing across global time zones (US East/West, Australia, China, and India).
  • Oversaw internal design systems for Outlook and partnered with Fluent design system.
  • Co-led semester planning with PM and Eng counterparts, balancing product goals, AI priorities, and design resourcing.
  • Led projects across core fundamentals, enterprise DCRs, and Copilot experiences such as Drafting, Summarizing, Coaching.
  • Began early exploration with ChatGPT-3 in 2021, influencing Copilot design foundations and feature direction.

Contact

Sean@seansmithdesign.com
www.linkedin.com/in/seansmithdesign
seansmithdesign.com

Professional Development

Future London Academy
Executive Programme for Design Leaders ("Design MBA") | 2025-2026
A selective 9 week "Design MBA" for senior creatives focused on design leadership, business strategy, organizational design, and AI fluency. Delivered through immersive modules in London and California, taught by leaders from Google, Pentagram, Wolff Olins, and more.
Designer Fund
Design for Business Impact | 2019
A design leadership series providing actionable case studies from firms like Pinterest, Gusto, Slack, and Dropbox. Focused on helping designers link their craft to business outcomes, metrics, and strategic influence.
CodePath
SwiftUI for Designers | 2015
A hands‑on technical course providing app prototyping skills in SwiftUI tailored to designers. A practical, bootcamp-style introduction to native iOS prototyping tools.

Education

Art Institute of California - San Francisco
Graphic Design | 2007-2010
Academy of Art
Graphic Design | 2006-2007

Skills

Design Leadership & Management
Design Leadership, Design Management, Team Hiring, Team Resourcing, Sprint Facilitation, Mentorship
Product Thinking & Strategy
Product Strategy, Human-Centered Design, Storytelling, Collaboration, Cross-functional Alignment
Emerging Tech & AI
Generative AI Design, AI-Assisted Workflows, Prompt Design, Transparency in AI, Ethical AI Principles
Design Systems & Platforms
iOS, Android, iPadOS, MacOS Design, Design Systems, Fluent Design, Web Design
Tools & Craft
Figma, Sketch, Prototyping, Cursor, Lovable, Motion Design