Sean Locke

Product Designer, BuildOps

Los Angeles

Toronto-born, Berkeley alum, Los Angeles resident. Currently, I am a Product Designer at BuildOps and Instructor of Visual Design at General Assembly. I pursued an interdisciplinary major in Visual Studies at Berkeley, have subsequently learned from the extraordinary people at Adaptive Path, ArtCenter, and General Assembly. I continue to refresh and retool my skills by continuous study and practice with specific interest within design in typography. I’ve had an extensive career doing what I love to do. And I believe that design, when done right, can shape and improve people’s lives. Client projects include: Archive, Athleet, Bedside, BlueCedar, Castifi, Eames Office, Fanswell, Federated Sample, Food Karma, Form Lifting, Fulcrum, Hatchling, Influences, Level Connections, Lola, NailSnaps, OpenX, Peloton, Projecis, Quonundrums, Samplicious, SHFT, Shyft, Signonline, SportsGunner, Spot Runner, Standard Vision, Syrup, Victorious, Vrai & Oro, Wellthy, and Will Call.

IN CONVERSATION WITH SEAN:

What is your favorite technical skill to work with on your own projects and why?

I’d have to say rapid prototyping—especially when it comes to designing intuitive workflows and bringing ideas to life fast. There’s something incredibly satisfying about turning a sketch or concept into a working prototype in just a few hours. I like when things move quickly, and prototyping helps me learn by doing. It’s also where design, research, and storytelling all come together—especially in early-stage product work, which I love.

What is your favorite technical skill to teach to students and why?

User research. It’s one of the most eye-opening parts of UX for students, because it shifts the focus from making things that look good to making things that actually work for real people. Teaching students how to run a good interview, synthesize findings, and translate those insights into design decisions—that’s where they really start to think like designers. It also builds empathy, which is the most important skill in this whole field.

What is most important to you about teaching technical skills at General Assembly?

For me, it’s about showing students they already have what it takes to think like a designer. The tools and techniques are important, but I want them to walk away feeling empowered to solve real problems. Teaching at GA isn’t just about transferring knowledge—it’s about helping people shift their mindset, take creative risks, and discover their voice as designers.

What advice do you have for anyone looking to learn technical skills to reach new career goals?

Start building before you feel ready. Learning technical skills isn’t about memorizing the “right” way to do things—it’s about making things, testing them, and improving as you go. You’ll learn way more by doing small, scrappy projects than by waiting until everything feels perfect. Also: ask questions. Lots of them. Curiosity is your best asset.

What would you like to highlight about your experience in your technical domain outside of teaching?

I’ve spent over 15 years designing products with early-stage startups, often as the first designer in the room. I’ve helped founders take raw ideas and shape them into working platforms—sometimes leading to millions in funding or major pivots in direction. Whether it’s designing AI-driven workflows for enterprise software or launching new brands from scratch, I’ve always been drawn to the messy, uncertain, early stages where design can have the biggest impact.

WHAT SEAN'S STUDENTS ARE SAYING...

"Really great instructor. He always adjusted as needed and would hear out students when a learning method was particularly not working with our learning style. Hes a really great listener and knows when to interject and help us grow and advance our thoughts.”

"He was an amazing instructor who supported me from day one in building my knowledge and confidence. He always reminded me not to undervalue my designs and helped me improve how I present my work. He was a great resource for design tools, and his workshops during the bootcamp were really practical and useful. He even invited guest speakers for the AI workshop, which meant a lot. He constantly emphasized the power of AI and encouraged us to use it as a tool every day. He was also there to help navigate any conflicts we encountered during team projects—a great listener, leader, and someone who truly knows how to guide and manage a team.”