​My Solutions

I designed Serene to encourage users to plan their parking situation, hopefully mitigating future parking issues and anxieties while saving time, money, and gas.

Solution 1
User-focused Features:Filters  

​I implemented user-focused filters, based on the results of my UX survey, to grant users the ability to filter their parking needs. 

Filter Features Options

1. Type of parking space (garage, streets & public paid lots).
2. Price range.
3. Safety Rating.

Advantages

1. Leveraged the current market. (The current market does NOT pivot these filter options: Price-range & Safety rating.)

2. Higher user personalization = higher app feasibility & viability.

Why?
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By fitting the user needs & reduce information overload, the app becomes more user-friendly. 

Solution 2
Helpful Details About Parking Space

​I added easy-to-scan information and features to provide helpful details about parking spaces.

Additional User Customization Features
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1. The ability to view the walking distance from the parking location to the destination.

2. Compare other parking options with one easy click.

3. View the availability of the space in real-time.

Advantages
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1. Make users do less work. 
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2. Leveraging the current markets. (The current market does not focus on providing information about availabilities of the space in real-time.)

Why?
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The main goal is to reduce information overload, customer confusion, and overbooking consequences.

​By providing the users with all the necessary information and features, the app will be more user-friendly and efficient

Solution 3
Touch-Free Booking & Paying Experience

​This solution aims to continue reducing parking mishaps by providing a touch-free booking and paying experience.

Based on my UX survey, many users experience problems with parking machines and payments.

Booking + Parking Features

1. Choose location, start date, time & duration, and viewing the price before booking. 

2. Choose/add their vehicle preferences.

3. Last review + changes and payment method before booking.

4. The opportunity to cancel booking right after booking confirmation.


Advantages

​1. Having a touch-free booking + payment experience can reduce business manual labors. 

2. Reduce customer interaction with machines during the age of COVID-19, this can help ensure the safety of the customers

3. Reduce customer booking mistakes, this will lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty to the service.

Why?
​Keeping customer satisfaction with the service is crucial to increase app feasibility and viability, and a touch-free booking and paying experience can reduce parking mishaps and improve the overall user experience.

Solution 4
Paperless E-Ticket & Managing Booking

​This solution aims to introduce more opportunities for user customization by providing a paperless e-ticket and the ability to manage bookings. Mistakes can happen, or certain circumstances may come up for the users that require them to change or cancel the booking.

Features

1. A second opportunity to edit or cancel the booking when viewing the e-ticket.

2. Providing customer service on the app & parking business phone number.

Advantages

Having convenient ways for the customers to manage their bookings can reduce stress and save them time. Additionally, over time, this can build customer loyalty to the service.

Why?

Reducing work for both parties, users, and parking managers, can make the process smoother, increase customer satisfaction and lead to an overall better user experience. This can help to improve the app's feasibility and viability in the long run.

UX Research 1: Ethnographic Research 

Prior to initiating my UX research, it was crucial for me to gain a comprehensive understanding of the parking industry and its overall functioning. I conducted initial surveys to gather this information

Why? 
My goal was to gain a more in-depth understanding of how to enhance the user experience and to develop a strong sense of empathy with my target audience. I conducted research to achieve this understanding.

UX Research 2: User Surveys

I conducted a comprehensive UX survey on Maze.co to gather both qualitative and quantitative data, with the aim of identifying the shortcomings of current parking methods.

​The survey specifically focused on three key areas: the time consumed while searching for parking, pain points associated with traditional parking methods, and general user concerns. The following are my statistical findings from the survey

UX Research 3: Market Analysis Findings

In addition to the survey, I conducted a market analysis (view details) to gain insight into what solutions already exist, as well as identify potential opportunities to create a solution that would fill any of the missing gaps.

Here are some of my findings:

Developing: Key Insights

To supplement my UX research, I also conducted a thorough market analysis (view details) to gain an understanding of existing solutions within the parking industry and to identify potential opportunities for creating a unique solution.

My analysis included researching current trends, competitors, and customer needs. The following are some of my key findings from the market analysis

Through the analysis of data collected from the three UX research methods (Ethnographic, Surveys, and Market Analysis), I was able to synthesize and extract the five most significant insights. These insights were used to inform the development of my solution:

Developing: User Personas

To ensure that my research and insights were grounded in the needs and behaviors of my target users, I created detailed user personas. These personas helped me to empathize with our users and to design a solution that would meet their specific needs and goals.

Framing the Problems: HMW's

"Based on my research findings, I formulated several "How Might We" statements which helped me to frame the overarching issues and problems that were identified. These statements served as guiding principles for the development of my solution.​

Ideating Solutions 

With the problems identified from the UX Surveys, Market Analysis and How Might We statements in mind, I began brainstorming potential solutions.

​I utilized affinity mapping as a tool to generate feature ideas and evaluated each idea on a prioritization grid to determine which features would have the greatest impact and were feasible to implement within the given time constraints.

Based on my prioritization and feasibility evaluation, I decided to include the following features in my design as I believe they offer the most value to users:

• User-focused filters such as price range, safety rating, etc to simplify the parking options.
• Conveniently allowing users to edit or cancel their booking information.
• Providing walking distance from parking location to destination.
• Displaying real-time availability of parking spaces.
• Incorporating a customer service portal and additional information for easy reference.
• Implementing QR code e-tickets as an alternative to physical tickets.

Creating User Flows

To envision how users would interact with my proposed solutions, I created a user flow diagram. Given the time constraints, I focused on the user experience specifically in the context of finding, booking, making payments, and viewing confirmation for parking at garage lots. This helped me to better understand the user journey and to identify any potential friction points or challenges that needed to be addressed.
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More User Flow ideas here

Creating Information Site (App) Map

To ensure that my app's information was organized and structured in an intuitive and user-friendly way, I created a site map. This helped me to understand the overall architecture of the app and to identify any potential areas where users might struggle to find what they need. 

Wireframing

Low Fidelity Sketches

I always like to start with paper and pencil, click to view.

Mid Fidelity + User Testing 

I conducted User testing on Maze.co using my Mid-fidelity wireframe.
Click to see my User testing results + changes made.

Mid Fidelity Refined (After User Testing)

Based on feedback from user testing, the following improvements were made to the design:

• The size and location of buttons were adjusted for improved accessibility and user ease.
• An option to save e-tickets was added for easy reference.
• The number of screens was reduced by allowing users to book parking at the time of viewing parking information for improved efficiency and user experience.

High Fidelity 

High Fidelity Refined  

Based on feedback from live peer user testing, the following improvements were made to the design:

• An input field for start time was added to provide more accurate pricing information.
• Automatic calculations were implemented to display pricing information as early as possible in the booking process.
• A visual breakdown of costs was added to improve transparency and user understanding.

Finished Prototype

Logos

Design System 

Challenges

1. Generating Insightful UX Survey Questions: In order to generate useful and informative survey questions, I sought guidance from my UX research mentor and reminded myself to focus on uncovering the needs and feelings of users when interacting with a product. This helped me to ensure that the data collected would be relevant and actionable.

2. Prototyping: I faced challenges while creating a functional prototype. To overcome this, I practiced using different prototyping tools and also sought help from online resources. This helped me to become more proficient in creating effective and interactive prototypes.​

General Learnings

1. Minimizing User Effort: I applied this principle by implementing features that reduce the amount of work required from users, such as automatic calculations and streamlined navigation.

2. Building User Trust: I applied this principle by displaying pricing and taxes as early in the process as possible, to establish transparency and trust with users.

3. Iterative Design through User Testing: I applied this principle by incorporating user testing at every stage of the design process and using the feedback to improve and refine the design.

4. Accessibility: I applied this principle by considering accessibility guidelines provided by WebAIM throughout the design process to ensure that the final product is inclusive and usable for all users.

Applied future learnings

What would I add next in my solutions? 

Solution 1: User-Focused Filters

• Provide examples of the types of parking spaces available, such as covered, uncovered, or handicapped-accessible.
• Clarify how the safety rating is determined, for example, whether it is based on user reviews or a third-party rating system.
• Consider adding additional filter options, such as distance from the destination or amenities (like electric charging stations).

Solution 2: Helpful Details About Parking Space

• Include images of the parking space to give users a better idea of what to expect.
• Provide information about the hours of operation and availability of the parking space.
• Consider adding the ability to view parking space reviews and ratings.

Solution 3: Touch-Free Booking and Paying Experience

• Consider adding the ability to use loyalty points or rewards for discounted parking. (Great for business).
• Explain the process for refunds or cancellations in case of technical difficulties.
• Consider adding the ability to view a map of the parking location to help users find the parking space.
• Consider having other payment options, like cash.

Solution 4: Paperless E-Ticket and Managing Booking

• Include the ability to share the e-ticket with friends or family if the user is carpooling.
• Add the ability to view and track the status of the booking (such as "confirmed" or "cancelled").
• Consider adding the ability for users to rate the parking space after using it, to help improve the app for future users.

Others:

• Incorporated additional safety measures into the app, such as warning users about potential car prowling before they park to ensure user safety.