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Table of Contents

• Summary
• My Skills
• My Experience and Work Samples
• My Other Sites
• Recommendations of My Work

Summary back to Table of Contents

I've been doing user experience-related work since 1995 and have gained significant experience in the following areas:

• information architecture
• usability
• copywriting
• content development
• community building
• online marketing
• social media
• graphic design
• branding

My Skills back to Table of Contents

Information Architecture

• gathering user goals and business goals
• developing wireframes
• creating online and paper prototypes
• developing user scenarios
• defining organization, navigation, labeling and searching systems

Usability

• conducting usability testing
• developing and designing usability tests
• writing usability test scripts
• familiar with usability best practices

Copywriting

• writing copy for ads, product descriptions, headlines, content areas, email newsletters, etc.
• familiar with Web writing best practices

Content Development

• developing content ideas and strategy
• creating content areas
• producing content
• managing content
• familiar with content-related best practices

Online Community Building

• developing community
• recruiting and managing volunteers
• managing community
• familiar with community-building best practices

Online Marketing

• building relationships and driving traffic and sales through email newsletters
• designing, developing and managing email newsletters
• developing viral marketing campaigns
• designing and building marketing widgets
• using social media to build relationships and drive traffic
• optimizing sites for search engines
• familiar with online marketing best practices

Social Media

• using sites and technologies such as Facebook, MySpace, Digg, blogs, message boards, etc., to build relationships and drive traffic
• familiar with social media best practices

Graphic Design

• designing graphics for websites and online ads
• familiar with best practices for designing graphics for websites

Branding

• communicating brand messages online
• familiar with best practices for brand building online

Technologies

Web Authoring Languages: HTML, CSS
Desktop Software: HTML-Kit, Homesite, Photoshop, Paintshop Pro, Visio, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, iMovie
Operating Systems: Windows and Mac OS X
Video Tools: YouTube, TubeMogul
Publishing Tools: WordPress, Vignette StoryServer, SproutBuilder.com
Analytics Tools: Google Analytics, Mint
Social Media Tools: Facebook, MySpace, Digg, Mixx, Flickr, StumbleUpon, Forums, Chat, etc.

My Experience and Work Samples back to Table of Contents

2008-present, User Experience Consultant (Independent Contractor)

Projects: NuruInternational.org, AndyPadjen.com

Some Work Samples (show/hide)

user experience review of NuruInternational.org
From the perspective of a user, I reviewed everything on the site -- everything from the copywriting and branding to the usability and information architecture.

AndyPadjen.com
I designed my site and built it using HTML and CSS. I also wrote the copy.

2007-2008, Internet Consultant, American Bible Society (ABS)

Project: ShareYourStoryNow.org

How I Used My Skills (show/hide)

Some Work Samples (show/hide)

online prototypes of home page: 1, 2, 3
In preparation for a major redesign, and informed by user research, I used a Flash-based tool at SproutBuilder.com to build these semi-interactive prototypes.

paper prototypes of home page: 1, 2
In preparation for a minor redesign, I used PaintShop Pro to build these paper prototypes.

viral marketing widget: BarlowGirl Widget
I did a lot of online marketing for ShareYourStoryNow.org, and widgets were one piece of our strategy. I designed and built the widgets using PaintShop Pro and SproutBuilder.com.

monthly email newsletter: January 2008
I created the email newsletter and wrote the copy. Over time we experimented with a few variations of the newsletter.

usability test script: download the PDF file
In preparation for a major redesign, I conducted some basic usability testing.

plan for recruiting, approving and training volunteers: (Ask me about this.)
One of the ways I helped build community on the site was by developing and implementing a plan to recruit, approve, train and manage volunteers. By the time I left ABS, we had six volunteers for ShareYourStoryNow.org. According to my former supervisor, there are now ten volunteers. The volunteer program is going strong.

2000-2002, Information Architect, Symetri Internet Marketing

Projects: Sealy.com, StearnsAndFoster.com, Sales.Sealy.com, VectorTobacco.com

How I Used My Skills (show/hide)

Some Work Samples (show/hide)
(Note: Thanks to the Internet Archive, I was able to retrieve some work samples. You'll notice, however, that some images are missing.)

Sealy.com: Before | After | Sealy.com won the "Site of the Week" award.
Based on a lot of user research and other research, we redesigned Sealy.com. I was the researcher, usability tester, information architect, content strategist and copywriter for the project.

StearnsAndFoster.com: Before | After
Based on a lot of user research and other research, we redesigned StearnsAndFoster.com. As with Sealy.com, I was the researcher, usability tester, information architect, content strategist and copywriter for the project.

VectorTobacco.com: Home Page
We redesigned VectorTobacco.com. As with the other sites, I was the researcher, usability tester, information architect, content strategist and copywriter for the project.

1999-2000, Merchandising Director, OnePlace.com

Project: ChristianSuperstore.net

How I Used My Skills (show/hide)

A Work Sample:
(Source: Internet Archive)

ChristianSuperstore.net: Home Page
I played many roles at ChristianSuperstore.net. For the home page, I helped develop and design the user interface; I wrote the copy; I helped develop the product promotion strategy and schedule; etc.

1997-1999, Senior Content Producer, Crosswalk.com

Project: Crosswalk.com

How I Used My Skills (show/hide)

Some Work Samples (show/hide)
(Source: Internet Archive)

Crosswalk.com: Home Page
I was the copywriter and managing editor for the Crosswalk.com home page.

Men's Channel on Crosswalk.com: Men's Channel Home Page
I created, designed, produced and managed Crosswalk.com's Men's Channel.

Forums on Crosswalk.com: Forums Home Page
I developed, designed and managed Crosswalk.com's Forums area. I also recruited and managed all the volunteers. By the time I left Crosswalk.com, the Forums area was a thriving online community. Today it's still the biggest and liveliest Christian-oriented forums area on the Web.

1995-1997, Content Producer, Gospelcom.net

Projects: Christian Sports Flash and Internet for Christians

How I Used My Skills (show/hide)

Some Work Samples (show/hide)
(Source: Internet Archive)

Christian Sports Flash: Home Page
I created, designed, produced and managed Christian Sports Flash, a weekly online magazine featuring Christian athletes.

Internet for Christians: Home Page and Newsletter
I designed and managed the Internet for Christians website, and I wrote the biweekly Internet for Christians email newsletter.

My Other Sites back to Table of Contents

Personal Projects

My consulting site: AndyPadjen.com
Promotes my user experience reviews.
Don't miss my recent user experience review of NuruInternational.org.

My blog: SmoochTheSoul.com/blog
Contains musings about things that interest me.

A humor site: edfargle.com
This is a comedy creation from my buddy Wink and I. Wink is ed fargle; I'm the ... um ... producer of the site. We plan to officially launch the site later this winter.

Recommendations back to Table of Contents

Here's What Some of My Former Coworkers and Clients Said About My Work

• "Andy is probably one of the most insightful people I've ever met - which comes in handy for an information architect. He has a way of asking the right questions, which is an unbelievably rare and underrated skill; and then deciphering the answers - even when users have no idea what they really want. He takes nothing for granted and has a knack for really getting to the heart of an issue. He is comfortable in any/all work situations and puts everyone at ease. With his guidance, our developers and designers translated vague user notions into award-winning websites. Second only to his ability to organize thoughts, is his ability to express them. If you need something concisely, yet eloquently written, Andy's your man. In a pinch, you also want him on your side during a full-on Nerf Gun war."
  -Connie Turner, PMP, senior account executive, Symetri



• "Andy is one of the best writers and communicators I've known professionally. He has a great eye for detail and excellent team skills. He's very creative without sacrificing professionalism or getting the job done. I can't say enough about the quality of person Andy is and the positives he brings to a team either. People love working with and being around Andy!"
  -Eric Braun, web developer, Symetri



• "Man, do I wish that I could work with this guy again! Andy possesses a quality that is often times rare in this industry ... he genuinely cares about the people that he is crafting answers for. The hallmark of a great information architect is a true understanding of people. Andy also carries a thorough knowledge of the industry and the nature of networked environments. I can't recommend Andy highly enough. Do yourself a huge favor and hire this guy!"
  -John Peele, creative director, Symetri



• "Andy was ahead of his time when we worked together almost a decade ago, bringing a keen understanding of design, usability, and fun to the online shopping experience long before most of the rest of the industry realized its importance. He adds these elements (and many others) to every project or organization he joins."
  -Brian Baute, lead program manager, ChristianSuperstore.net



• "I worked with Andy at Crosswalk.com when he was a Senior Content Producer. Andy is not only a ton of happy fun to work with - he's smart, a great writer and he really gets the online user. I'd highly recommend his work."
  -Leigh Duncan-Durst, director of e-commerce, Crosswalk.com



• "Andy helped our team grow in knowledge on how best to tend to our growing online community. ... He is very knowledgeable in this field and works well with a group. He will often pose the right questions and will think of solutions not often thought of. Going to miss having him on our team!"
  -Abigail Tanori, program manager, ShareYourStoryNow.org



• "Andy helped us build and cultivate online community for SYSN.org. He has the right combination of motivation and skills to turn strategy into action and vision into reality."
  -Scott Wennermark, director of digital ministries, American Bible Society