Sean Sabihi, Cspo
About Sean Sabihi, Cspo
Sean Sabihi is a Senior UX Researcher II at Handshake, where he leads qualitative and quantitative research efforts across multiple product squads. He has a background in psychology and user experience design, with previous roles at various organizations including IdeaBase and UPMC Health Plan.
Current Role at Handshake
Sean Sabihi currently serves as a Senior UX Researcher II at Handshake, a position he has held since 2023. In this role, he leads qualitative and quantitative research efforts across five product squads, including Feed, Content, Profile, AI, and Notifications. He generates findings decks, executive reports, journey maps, and other research artifacts that are distributed company-wide. Additionally, he leads company-visible research efforts such as monthly listening sessions and cross-functional projects, collaborating closely with design, product, and engineering teams.
Previous Experience at IdeaBase
Before joining Handshake, Sean worked at IdeaBase in Kent, Ohio, where he held two positions. He served as a User Experience Designer from 2017 to 2018 for one year and later as Lead User Experience Designer from 2018 to 2019 for nine months. In these roles, he focused on enhancing user experience through design and research methodologies.
Educational Background in Psychology and User Experience Design
Sean Sabihi studied Psychology and User Experience Design at Kent State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from 2015 to 2019. He also participated in the Kent State Florence Summer Institute in Florence, Italy, in 2018, furthering his education in psychology. His academic background provides a strong foundation for his work in user experience research.
Leadership and Educational Initiatives
Sean has demonstrated leadership in the field of user experience by founding and serving as President of UX Design KSU, an organization at Kent State University, from 2018 to 2019. In his current role at Handshake, he educates designers, product managers, and researchers on conducting mixed research methodologies and interpreting findings. He also leads collaborative workshops to help stakeholders embed insights into their workflows.
Experience with UPMC Health Plan and VF Corporation
Sean has held significant roles at UPMC Health Plan and VF Corporation. He worked as an Experience Designer I / Product Manager at UPMC Health Plan from 2019 to 2021 for two years and later as Experience Designer II in 2021 for eight months. At VF Corporation, he served as a Senior UX Researcher from 2021 to 2022 for nine months. These positions contributed to his expertise in user experience design and research.