Design
From wireframe to working product.
I start in wireframes, then move into working software quickly, so design ideas get tested with something real instead of a mockup. Pinboard.ai started that way in January.
AI with a purpose
AI that takes action, not just a chat box.
I build AI to do the work, not just talk about it. In Pinboard you tell the assistant what happened, and it moves the items and logs the time for you. Each change shows up as a card first, so you can accept or undo it.
Engineering
Working across the stack.
Pinboard’s interface is Next.js and React, with FastAPI, Postgres and pgvector underneath and AI agents using 251 MCP tools in between. It also ships as desktop and mobile apps.
Shipping
A little better every day.
I ship in small, frequent steps and let what I learn shape the next one. That’s Pinboard’s real commit history this year, one square per day.
Learn and improve
Then I measure, and go again.
After each release I look at both sides: product analytics for what people actually do, like where they drop off and how often they accept the AI’s changes, and feedback for what they tell me. Together they decide the next wireframe.
The loop
Every release feeds the next one.
Design, AI with a purpose, build, ship, learn, then back to the start. No feature is finished after one pass; each one goes around as many times as it takes.
one board per client project
status drives the group bar
AI should do the work, not just chat
source = where the work came from
BOARD VIEW · WIREFRAME
Sean Block · Product Engineer
Iconnectproduct,designandcode.
I’m a product engineer and the director of product management at Applied AI Technologies. Scroll to see how I work, with Pinboard.ai as the example.
About me
I’m Sean. I work across product, design and engineering.
01 · Design
Designing the product
I like to sketch the flows first and then design the screens, so the plan and the product stay close together.
02 · Engineering
Writing the code
I work in TypeScript, React and Next.js on the front end and Python, FastAPI and Postgres on the back end, with AI agents and MCP tools across both.
03 · Product leadership
Leading product and delivery
As director of product management, I help set product strategy, run our PMO across seven-plus engagements and scope new work.
Elsewhere · ClerkXpress · Sr. Technical PM & Lead Frontend
Turning custom work into configuration.
On ClerkXpress I led the design and build of a JSON form engine, so a new license can be set up as a config file instead of new code. The form, fee rules, AI document scan and approval flow all render from it.
The day job
My day job: leading product.
I’m the director of product management at Applied AI Technologies, where I work on SaaS for state governments. Being on both sides helps: knowing the code keeps my estimates realistic, and the business side keeps me focused on what clients need.
- 01
Setting up the PMO
I set up the governance standards, risk-and-issue frameworks and portfolio reporting that now run across seven-plus concurrent client engagements and a team of about 25 onshore and overseas staff.
0+engagements · ~25 people - 02
Scoping and pricing new work
I wrote the proposals, RFIs, cost estimates and solution architectures for six new initiatives (four for state agencies and two for commercial products) and presented them to C-level stakeholders.
0initiatives scoped and pitched - 03
Pulling delivery into one system
I consolidated work that lived across notepads, Confluence, spreadsheets, Redmine and Jira into one place for time, tasks, tickets and notes, then set up an internship pipeline alongside it.
5→1tools consolidated - 04
Building for a state regulator ↗
The NYS Cannabis Map is the statewide licensed-dispensary locator for the New York Office of Cannabis Management, live at buylegal.cannabis.ny.gov. I was the senior technical PM and frontend lead.
0MNew Yorkers it serves
In short
I try to start with the problem rather than the feature list, build the smallest version that proves the idea, and get it in front of real people early. I’ve found design, code and the business case work best when they’re treated as one decision.