ParkPulse Mobile Parking Product Design
Project Brief
Driving to large downtown capitals and the return of office jobs since the pandemic, it causes issues among city infrastructure including congested traffic and parking problems. Since the pandemic and employers returning to in-person office jobs, traffic volume continues to increase. They struggle to find open parking spaces and meters due to the downtown cities’ infrastructure of one-way streets and loss of parking meters with the emergence of bike/pedestrian lanes. Here is a few goals that commuters look for:
Efficiency
Commuters look for an efficient way to park and save excess time. Parking tends to be a frustration in people's daily lives and creating efficiency emphasizes the importance of their commute.
Streamlined Reservations
Streamlining reservations offer a smooth parking experience for commuters. The ability to pay online or in-person at multiple kiosks by parking zones creates easy accessibilty for the user.
Project Proposal
While jobs continue to grow and return, it has been concluded that the average person loses 54 hours a year from congested traffic and a wasted cost of $912. Additionally, the average speed of a commute during rush hour traffic is 14 MPH (The Denver Post). These studies indicate that the stress associated with finding parking can lead to decreased focus and mental well-being. Employees preoccupied with securing a parking spot often bring that frustration into the workplace, negatively impacting their productivity (ParkingLogix). Furthermore, more office work being done at home or in hybrid home/office arrangements is reshaping commute patterns. Some weekdays are worse than others, and traffic tends to be spread out over more hours of the day (Murray 2023). This data presented has offered a few assumptions for a person's daily commute including; commuters want a quicker way to their destination, commuters want cheaper options for parking, and parking causes issues among their daily commute.
Design Research:
User Flow Chart:
Competitive Analysis
My competitive analysis included two popular mobile parking apps; Parkmobile and SpotHero. Analyzing both apps provided good direction towards the overall structure of the app. While researching both apps, the main feature I wanted to incorporate was the ability to create a streamlined way to park so users wouldn't feel hesitant or intimated to park downtown.
Similarities
- General Map
- Doesn't Require Account to Park
- Parking Amenities Filter
- Search by Event
- Apple/Google Pay
Differences
- Lack of Pricing Filter
- Limited Parking Zones
- SpotHero Includes Airport Parking
- No Business Profile with Parkmobile
Innovation
- Simpler Navigation For Accessibilty
- Rounded UI For Welcoming Experience
- Filter For Pricing
Parkmobile Feature Audit
- Onboarding (Sign In, Create Account, Social Logins, Email & Password)
- Home Page (Enter Parking Zones, Active Sessions, Map)
- Reservations (Active and Past Sessions)
- Map (Search for Nearby Zones, Location Search, Event Search)
- Settings (Account, Help, Payment Options, Vehicle Options)
SpotHero Feature Audit
- Onboarding (Sign Create Account, Social Logins, Email & Password)
- Home Page (Search, Search by Location, Search by Popular Events, Search by Airport, Reservations, Map)
- Reservations
- Map (All Locations, Filter Options)
- Settings (Account, Help, Payment Options, Vehicle Options, Dark Mode)
User Personas
Concept Sketches
Major Screens
Personalized Commuting Walkthrough
Reservation System Walkthrough
Map Hotspots
