About Simon MacFadyen

The story behind Psy Digital

Psy Digital is Simon MacFadyen, an independent full-stack developer in Cheshire. I build and look after Shopify stores, WordPress sites and Laravel applications for retailers, agencies and growing businesses.

Most people call me Si. You'll find me on LinkedIn and GitHub.

Simon MacFadyen, the developer behind Psy Digital

Every project starts with the commercial goal

I choose the architecture, the hosting and the way updates go live around that goal, and explain each choice in plain English.

What I work on

Over 15 years, from freelance websites to Psy Digital

  1. Independent

    1. Freelance website developer

      I started out on my own, building websites for local businesses and teaching myself to code as I went.

  2. Full-service agencies

    1. Junior web developer

      My first agency job took me through the whole delivery cycle and set my front-end foundations in HTML, CSS and Bootstrap.

    2. Front-end web developer

      Next came pharmaceutical clients, whose digital tools were held to their industry's rules and to the WCAG accessibility standards.

    3. Lead front-end web developer

      As lead, I reviewed front-end code across the client sites, raised its standard and coached newer developers.

    4. Senior front-end web developer

      The senior role brought global campaigns, and I built their animated front ends in JavaScript, SCSS and GSAP.

  3. Fintech start-up

    1. Technical director and co-founder

      I co-founded a UK fintech company and led its architecture, development and growth, working with AWS and Web3 as financial regulation kept changing.

  4. Psy Digital

    2020 to present

    1. Director

      I run Psy Digital as its director and its developer. The case studies show some of what I've built since.

Frequently asked questions

Questions I get asked before a project starts.

Updated

Who does the work?

I do. I plan and write the code myself, and you deal with me from the first call to the work after launch. When a build needs design, I bring in a design partner.

Will you sign an NDA?

Yes. A lot of my work is under NDA, which is why the case studies show only part of what I've built. If your project needs one, I'll sign it before you share the details.

Do you use AI to write code?

Yes, every day. I set out what the code has to do and how it will be tested, then check what the AI produces against that at every step. I've written about how AI is changing my job.

Do you take white-label work from agencies?

Yes. My white-label work in Laravel, Shopify and WordPress goes out under the agency's name, and I only speak to its clients if it asks me to.

Do you only work with businesses in Cheshire?

No. I work with clients online wherever they are, and meet those in Cheshire, Liverpool and the Wirral in person when it helps.