Fractional UX Leader · UX Strategist · Business Owner · Coach
I believe the world gets better when people lead with clarity and confidence.
When teams know where they’re going and why, they don’t just build better products or businesses. They build stronger, more resilient communities around them. That belief has shaped every chapter of my career, from UX leadership in agencies, to building businesses from scratch, to coaching creative leaders who are trying to keep their sanity intact while carrying real responsibility.
I’m Frank Lockwood. I’ve spent more than 20 years working at the intersection of design, strategy, leadership, and business ownership. I’ve led UX and creative teams, operated independent businesses, managed budgets and payroll, and lived through the pressure that comes when decisions matter and time is short.
Over time, one pattern became impossible to ignore:
most problems aren’t caused by a lack of talent or effort.
They’re caused by a lack of clarity under pressure.
Reason Under Pressure
Pressure has a way of narrowing perspective. Deadlines compress thinking. Emotion fills the gaps where clarity should be. Smart people react instead of choosing, and momentum quietly turns into noise.
Reason Under Pressure is the lens I use to do my work.
It’s not a framework or a productivity hack. It’s a commitment to slowing down just enough to think clearly when the stakes are high. It’s about maintaining objectivity when emotion is loud, building systems that support good decisions, and helping leaders see situations as they actually are, not as they hope they’ll be.
That lens shows up everywhere I work.
How this thinking shows up in practice
The BS-Free Business Test
The book is a practical application of Reason Under Pressure. It’s designed to interrupt autopilot thinking and replace vague confidence with honest clarity. Not by giving answers, but by asking better questions at the right moment, before small cracks become big problems. Learn more
Experience Forge
Through workshops and behavioral studies, I explore how leaders and teams make decisions under stress, where breakdowns actually occur, and what helps people regain clarity when things feel chaotic. View upcoming free workshop
Fractional UX Leadership & Coaching
As a Fractional UX Leader and coach, I work with teams and founders who need structure without suffocation. My focus isn’t tools or jargon. It’s direction, alignment, and momentum that actually holds up once the pressure returns.
I bring deep experience in UX strategy and execution, but the real value I offer is perspective. I’ve been on both sides of the table. I know what it’s like when everything feels urgent and nothing feels clear. My role is to help teams breathe again, make better decisions, and commit to work that truly moves the needle.
And yes, sometimes that means calling out the nonsense so we can get back to real work. View my coaching site
Who I work with
I work with founders, creative leaders, and teams who:
- Are capable, but stretched
- Care deeply about their work and their people
- Want clarity without hype
- Want systems that support good thinking, not constant reaction
Whether the work is UX leadership, coaching, or workshops, the goal is always the same:
more clarity, fewer fires, better outcomes, and teams that actually enjoy showing up.
Because better decisions don’t just improve businesses.
They strengthen the communities those businesses serve.