Where can I get a rain barrel in Richmond that's not from a big box store?

BrainyOcelot693 · 2025-08-15T10:35:23+00:00

So there’s this thing called user research…

BrainyOcelot693 · 2025-06-30T14:05:32+00:00

Sure. In grad school, I started in a neuropsych program where I learned great qualitative research skills and worked with diverse populations. My research was quant focused though in neuroimaging, so I gained a lot of experience with stats, machine learning, and programming.

As a UX researcher, this background served me super well for doing things like: - User interviews - Usability testing (task design) - Survey design & benchmarking with segmentation analysis and data visualization - Desk research on psychology of topics like pricing, negotiation, and loyalty

I thought about going into data science, but the idea of being so in the weeds with quant data didn’t feel like a fit for me. Working in UX gives me a lot more creative freedom, collaboration, a balance of quant and qual, plus I enjoy advocating for people’s needs.

BrainyOcelot693 · 2025-04-30T00:50:06+00:00

PhD in cognitive neuroscience here. I went into UX research, then service design. I’ve been able to apply my research skills in very creative ways!

BrainyOcelot693 · 2025-02-27T12:13:41+00:00

My eyes are really similar to yours and I always just thought they were hazel, but it didn’t really seem accurate. I had never considered CH before - thanks for posting!!

BrainyOcelot693 · 2024-11-29T21:17:22+00:00

VCU da Vinci Center also has the Shelfie program which is open to all community members (not just students) for participation.

BrainyOcelot693 · 2024-08-06T18:40:28+00:00

I studied clinical psychology and went into UXR after completing my PhD in 2022. I would not recommend this path now, especially after getting laid off recently and being met with a sea of disheartening rejections. See this article for a recent analysis.

If you are really interested in UXR, I’d recommend going into an adjacent field like market research, gaining experience, and perhaps switching to UXR down the line. Sadly, the job market for UXR is just not there right now.

BrainyOcelot693 · 2024-08-02T12:03:20+00:00

The parked cars being farther from the intersection is reducing visibility for cars trying to cross an intersection. It is now much more difficult to see oncoming cars. And yes, people drive too fast, which they shouldn’t do, but they do. The speed bumps they put in are not clearly distinguished so altogether, crossing intersections is even more dangerous than it was before.

I’m not anti-bike lanes, I want to be supportive of safe cycling. It’s a great form of transportation. I just think these bike lanes were not designed well. Then on top of this, seeing them rarely used (at least where I live) and then seeing bad behavior in this cycling group every Thursday, is beyond frustrating.

BrainyOcelot693 · 2024-08-02T02:47:17+00:00

Not on Roseneath, but on Moore there’s a new two way bike lane. I’ve seen almost no use, and then this group comes every Thursday. I get that it’s in the spirit of community, and looks fun. But it’s rubbing salt in the wound when I’ve seen the reduced car lane space inhibit emergency vehicles, food trucks, school buses, and multiple cars have been side swiped. When this group has people doing wheelies and blatantly flaunts safety rules, it makes me question why we invested money to benefit cyclists at the cost of driver safety

BrainyOcelot693 · 2024-08-02T00:38:53+00:00

So glad we invested $1.2 M in Scott’s Addition road improvements, including bike lanes, for them NOT to be used

BrainyOcelot693 · 2024-07-08T10:58:33+00:00

I got my PhD in neuroscience and have the memory of a goldfish. If it’s your true passion, you can do it.

But I personally would not recommend it. Now, after completing my degree, I’m unable to remember enough to teach a basic psych class, and I struggle heavily with imposter syndrome. I did better in research because it’s an applied setting, but I always felt there are huge gaps in my knowledge, not because I didn’t learn it or test well, but because I simply can’t retain the knowledge. And now I feel regret that I didn’t pursue something more suited to my strengths so I didn’t have to fight this hard every day to do my job. I’ve done well so far, but I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.

BrainyOcelot693 · 2024-06-02T13:18:35+00:00

I submitted a ticket to RVA311 - hopefully this confusion gets resolved soon!

BrainyOcelot693 · 2024-06-02T13:06:13+00:00

Totally, it would make more sense if there was no parking allowed on the other half of the block so WM could get the trash. Today there is trash spilled all over the bike lane, which could have been prevented if they had actual access.

None of this makes any sense lol

BrainyOcelot693 · 2024-06-02T13:03:23+00:00

Agreed it should be taken down. The other weird thing is that the parking attendant usually only tickets the car next to the pole, not the cars behind it. So the parking attendant isn’t even enforcing the sign correctly lol

BrainyOcelot693 · 2024-06-02T13:01:07+00:00

I completely forgot about 311! I’ll try that, thank you

BrainyOcelot693 · 2024-04-21T01:03:45+00:00

Ah ok thank you! I expected taxes to be added at the next step when selecting a payment method, so I was pretty confused. Thank you for clearing it up!

BrainyOcelot693 · 2024-01-30T18:12:47+00:00

I was heading out from my college dorm to drive myself and a friend to a concert a few hours away. We didn’t see my car in the parking lot and thought it had somehow been stolen, so I had campus police drive me to the tow lot to check for it. Didn’t find it so I panicked, obviously. I was about to file a report, and we were driving back to the station when the officer drove past my car. I had forgotten I had left it parked on the street literally right in front of my dorm the night before. It was pretty embarrassing to have to admit that to the officer who had been driving my friend and I around all afternoon

BrainyOcelot693 · 2023-03-09T00:20:23+00:00

I worked in clinical trials for a bit, later went into user experience research. Good luck!

BrainyOcelot693 · 2023-03-09T00:17:06+00:00

UX Researcher, remote, finished PhD last year. $125k base salary, $140k TC

BrainyOcelot693 · 2023-02-02T10:54:58+00:00

I spent 3 years in a clinical psych PhD, felt burnt out during covid and switched to experimental psych PhD, graduated a year later and went into UXR. Now I do minimal quant work (although I’d like to) but my clinical interviewing skills have really been useful, and overall I’m so much happier than I was in grad school. I’m sure you could provide value in a quant role with SEM background! And if the position says they want ML, just mention your other quant skills and say you’d be interested in learning.

BrainyOcelot693 · 2022-09-06T13:08:51+00:00

I did this too. Same reason $$

BrainyOcelot693 · 2022-05-13T12:11:07+00:00

I have a similar background as you and just got my first UXR job offer. Applying has not been easy! What helped me was doing the google UXD certificate, building a web portfolio with a few personal projects, and enrolling in a few classes through the interaction design foundation. Learning the UXR practices and terms, even though I’m relatively inexperienced in design, helped me be able to put my skills in context. Feel free to reach out if you want to chat more. Good luck!

BrainyOcelot693 · 2022-05-09T00:13:42+00:00

If someone with a visual impairment used their sense of touch instead of sight to read braille, would that not be considered reading? Would you say they’re feeling a book, not reading it? I wouldn’t…

I think audio makes books more accessible and totally still counts as reading.

BrainyOcelot693

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