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I help small businesses build recruiting and operational systems that are structured, documented, and easy to run — without adding headcount or complexity. Recent work: • Designing a full hiring pipeline for a pet care services business in Zoho Recruit — mapping an 8-stage process from application intake through onboarding, with custom candidate status tracking • Consulting for Taproot Foundation's Human in the Loop program, currently mapping technology systems and identifying AI adoption opportunities for a nonprofit's intake and billing processes • Built process documentation, workflow maps, and prompt libraries to support AI-assisted candidate sourcing Background: MBA in Human Resources & Economics, with prior full-cycle technical recruiting experience scaling engineering teams (4+ hires/week) and sourcing for cloud/tech roles. What I can help with: ✔ Recruiting operations setup — pipeline design, candidate tracking, ATS configuration (Zoho Recruit, Greenhouse) ✔ Process mapping and documentation for small teams without dedicated ops staff ✔ AI tool evaluation and workflow recommendations for recruiting, intake, or admin processes I'm early on Upwork but not early in the work — happy to start with a small, well-scoped project so you can see the quality firsthand.

An attentiveness to user experience has been a guiding theme in my career as a researcher, strategist, educator, and instructional designer. I was trained as a PhD-level anthropologist to see a holistic picture of the human experience through a variety of research methodologies, and to use the data to tell engaging stories about those human experiences. As a seasoned User Researcher and social scientist, I bring a comprehensive understanding of user research methodologies tailored to identify user pain points and drive actionable business insights. Trained in holistic research analysis, I excel at cross-comparing qualitative and quantitative data sources to tell a complete story about why a business phenomenon is happening. My dual experience as a researcher and instructional designer has shaped me into a data storyteller, able to craft research insights into compelling, engaging, and empathy-inspiring narratives for diverse stakeholders. My natural curiosity and passion for optimizing experiences is an asset not only for my clients' customers, but also for my collaborators.

Operations & Data Analyst | Business Analyst | Market Research | AI Content Reviewer I help organizations transform complex data into actionable insights through business analysis, KPI reporting, market research, forecasting, and performance optimization. My experience spans operations, analytics, marketing, and business management across multiple industries. With MBA degrees in International Business and Marketing & Business Negotiation, combined with hands-on experience across operations, analytics, marketing, and business management, I help organizations improve performance, optimize processes, and support strategic decision-making through data-driven insights. My expertise includes: • Data Analysis & Reporting • Market Research & Business Intelligence • Data Validation & Quality Assurance • KPI Tracking & Performance Measurement • Excel, Google Sheets, SQL, Tableau, Power BI • Statistical Analysis & Data Visualization • Process Improvement & Operational Analytics • Business Research & Lead Generation Throughout my career, I have supported operational teams, improved reporting processes, analyzed business performance, developed dashboards, and identified opportunities for efficiency and growth. My work has contributed to improved productivity, enhanced data accuracy, and more informed business decision-making. In addition to analytics, I bring strong communication and language skills as a native Romanian speaker fluent in English. I have experience in content review, business communication, research, proofreading, translation, and AI-related evaluation projects. My professional development includes: • Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate • Google Advanced Data Analytics Program • The Power of Statistics • Python for Data Analytics • AWS Data Analytics Fundamentals • Six Sigma Master Black Belt Whether you need business research, market analysis, data validation, reporting, dashboard development, lead generation, AI content evaluation, or analytical support, I am committed to delivering accurate, organized, and high-quality results. Let's connect and discuss how I can support your project.

I'm a Usability and User Experience Expert. I am a Top Rated freelancer that has earned Upwork's Skill Certification in User Experience Design. My specialties include: - Usability Analysis - I can show you where your visitors are most likely to have trouble on your site, mobile site, app or SAAS - User Research - Talking to users of your product or service is the best way to get the right feedback. I can show you how or do it for you - Prototyping - Before you invest in a new site or app create a prototype and use that to get feedback BEFORE you build it. Save time and headaches (for you and your customers) - Wireframing - Wireframes are the blueprints for your site or app. I can create these for you to turn over to your developer For the past 25 years, I have been involved in many functions designed to create the best sites, mobile sites, and applications possible. I've been a writer, creative director, editor, information architect/user experience architect, and director of usability testing. I've worked for big advertising agencies on large accounts (Ford, General Motors, Dodge, Virgin Airlines, Scott's Lawn Care, Aldi, Bosch) and by myself for small clients. My passion is usability testing and UX/CRO Reviews/audits. Using several online and in-person tools, I can help you make your sites and applications perform better, look better and win you more business.

Top 1% Expert-Vetted Research Consultant | Former VP Research, 12 Years Experience Trusted by Fortune 500, startups, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, SMBs Top Rated Plus on Upwork Award-Winning Researcher (NASPA NOW Award, Geneva Ray ORATE Award) 60+ studies designed (case study, quasi-experimental, RCT, mixed-method) 100+ focus group and in-depth interviews conducted $4 million+ in grant-funded projects managed I'm Dr. Annie Cole, EdD, the founding CEO and Principal Research Consultant at Praxia Insights, a global research agency. I offer end-to-end research support to academics, businesses, and nonprofits. Market/Product/UX Research Competitor/Gap Analysis/TAM Academic/Grant Research Instrument/Assessment Tool Development Program Evaluation Focus Group/In-Depth Interview Survey Data Analysis/Dashboard Rapid Cycle Testing Customer Segmentation/Personas/Journey Maps Landscape Analysis Literature Review Funnel/Website/Social Analytics Conversion Rate/CTR Optimization Executive Report Annual Report Brief/Infographic Pitch-Ready Slide Deck EXAMPLES OF MY WORK: 1. Ran several focus groups to help an online Saas company identify user perceptions when scrolling the company website, which led to major insights into why users weren't signing up for consultation calls. 2. Helped an edtech startup land their first federally-funded EIR grant for over $3 million in funding across 5 years. 3. Developed and ran a user feedback survey to collect customer feedback at 6 months and 1 year after their paid experience with the company. Data was used to show evidence of programmatic impacts to major funders and donors. 4. Designed the first annual report for a nonprofit, which was shared with stakeholders and funders to share impact data and build brand credibility. **FEEDBACK FROM PREVIOUS CLIENTS** "Absolutely fantastic to work with ! Dr Annie is a rock star 🌟 looking forward to more projects together." "This is our 2nd time working with Annie. She was very prompt on her communication. We were able to meet and get an understanding of the project. I got consistent updates on participants, schedule, and changes. Overall it was a very thorough project. Definitely recommend her for doing any focus groups!" "Very good work. I received very good feedback from members of my target audience and now have a report I can show to our executive board to propose new changes." MY BACKGROUND & EXPERIENCE: • BS Psychology, EdD Educational Neuroscience • Previous journal review board member for NASPA, JSARP, & JWG • Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research, CITI Training • Conflict of Interest, CITI Training ***** If you've read this far... it might make sense to jump on a call with me! Let's set up a free consultation call so I can better understand your unique project needs. Dr. Annie Cole, Ed.D. Founding CEO, Principal Research Consultant Praxia Insights

You have expertise people will pay for. I help you turn it into a scalable education business. I combine instructional design, marketing strategy, AI-powered workflows, automation, and platform expertise to build online courses, memberships, communities, and launch systems that generate revenue and create exceptional customer experiences. Whether you’re creating a new offer or improving an existing one, I look at the entire customer journey, from the first interaction with your brand through enrollment, onboarding, completion, and long-term engagement. My goal isn’t simply to build a course. It’s to build the business systems that help it succeed. I work with creators, coaches, consultants, authors, educators, and service providers who want an experienced strategic partner to guide their project from idea to launch. Services include: • Course strategy and curriculum architecture • Learning experience design • Customer journey mapping • Sales funnel strategy and implementation • Landing pages and sales pages • Lead magnets and email marketing • Launch planning and evergreen funnels • Marketing automations and AI workflows • Membership and community strategy • Student onboarding and retention • Course and funnel audits • Copywriting throughout the customer journey I work across Kajabi, Skool, Go High Level, Thinkific, Teachable, Squarespace, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, ManyChat, EverWebinar, and other leading platforms. The platform is simply the tool. The strategy behind it is what creates results. AI is part of my workflow, but not the product I deliver. I use it to accelerate research, documentation, content organization, workflow design, and production while applying human judgment, instructional design expertise, and marketing strategy to every recommendation. The result is faster execution without sacrificing quality or thoughtful decision-making. When I audit an existing business, I often find challenges that extend well beyond the course itself: • An offer that isn’t clearly positioned • A customer journey with unnecessary friction • Funnels that attract the wrong audience • Email sequences that educate but don’t convert • Students who become overwhelmed after purchasing • Automations that create confusion instead of momentum Rather than treating these as separate problems, I build systems that work together to create a better customer experience and stronger business results. My background combines education, instructional design, marketing, customer experience, and project management. That allows me to connect pieces that are often treated as separate projects. Instead of hiring one freelancer for curriculum, another for funnels, another for automation, and another for launch strategy, my clients work with someone who understands how those pieces fit together. If you’re looking for someone who can think beyond platform setup and help build a complete education business, I’d love to learn about your project.