SMART PARK
Role
Solo UX Designer | UX Researcher
Methodologies
Research, Analysis, Design, Prototype
Tools
Figjam, Pen & Paper, Figma
Duration
3 Weeks
Introduction
Theres no surprise that SAAS apps have risen in popularity in recent years. Whether your bing watching your favourite shows on Netflix, or your organising your work files on Drop Box, we have all come across them one way or another. However, I wanted to go even further and integrate AI with SAAS to design a unique parking app.
Challenge
For this project, the challenge was to design a subscription based parking app that uses AI to help improve the experience of public parking.
Goals
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Conduct research methods to better understand the problem at hand.
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Analyse the research to uncover common user pain points and weak UX spots.
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Design a solution to solve the research patterns.
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Create a prototype that can visually bring the solution to life.
Research
1
Analysis
Design
Prototype
Market Research
To gain a better understanding of how I could implement AI, I first conducted some market research on its current status in the car parking industry. I also researched some popular features, as well as the current problems users were facing. Here is what I found.
AI in Parking
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AI can make predictions on parking demands based on weather conditions and local events.
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AI can generate dynamic pricing strategies based on vehicle size, demand and availability.
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AI powered car park systems can offer compatibility with various platforms like apps and smart city initiatives.
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AI can perform enhanced security measures like detect suspicious activities and monitor vehicle movements.
Popular Features
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Real time parking availability
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Reservations and pre-bookings
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Data analytics and Insights
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License plate recognition
Current Features
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Survey conducted by Auto car stated 83% of people surveyed wanted to see an end to parking apps due to fears of fraud and complications of using apps.
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Users were being overcharged for prices due hidden fees in apps
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Users were concerned about fraud because of hidden and unclear fees.
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Many parking apps require users to enter their banking details, as this raises fears and suspicion of fraud.
Market Research
To gain a better understanding of how I could implement AI, I first conducted some market research on its current status in the car parking industry. I also researched some popular features, as well as the current problems users were facing. Here is what I found.
Just park
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Text is clear and consistent through out all screens.
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Layout is well organised, visual hierarchy is effective such as the map with nearby loactions dominating the search screen.
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Good use of white space to make the app look clean and tidy.
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Features such as third party integration, recent search and EV vehicle facilities make the app feel more personal and effective.
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Some controls are not very conventional, for example implementing a horizontal scroll bar to view price options. This took me a while to figure out how to use.
Your Parking Space
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Text is clear and consistent through out all screens.
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Less use of white space, however content is still well organised.
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Allows users to enter their vehicle registration, however fails to recognise vehicle model making it feel less personalised.
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Includes a separate map for EV charge locations making it more convenient for EV users.
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A feature to allows to earn money by renting their unused spaces for other uses, a lucrative yet unnecessary feature for the average user.
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Offers third party app integration.
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User flow is slighty long, as users need to bypass through a number of screens to reach their objective.
Ring Go
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The flow is much longer than the other two apps, as this is caused by the onboarding process and single purpose pages.
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The homepage provides a real time activity tracker that provides users with the density of parked vehicles in locations. This a smart feature that could be implemented in the design.
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The autopay features works by charging users upon entry/exit by number plate recognition systems meaning users wont need to open the app to pay.
User Survey
To better synthesis with users, I created a survey to find out what drivers typically experience with public parking. I also asked what features they would want to see more in parking apps. Here are the responses.
67%
60%
Say price influences them the most when choosing a parking space
Say they typically spend between £10-£20 on parking per month
70%
55%
Say parking spaces with EV charging availability influences their decision to choose a space
Say real time availability is would be the most important feature in a parking app
45%
Say parking spaces that are too small frustrates them the most
Research
Analysis
2
Design
Prototype
Affinity Diargram
Now that the research was complete, it was time to uncover the common patterns using a affinity diagram. Here is what I discovered.
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Users are experiencing payment related issues. These range from transactional errors, fraud and hidden fees. This therefore further influences decision to design a subscription based application as users would only need to pay on a monthly basis as this would eliminate any hidden fees or feeling like they have been overcharged.
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AI is certainly evident in the industry. However, this could also implemented using real time availability, as this is also high in demand.
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Overall, designing an parking app that is subscription based and uses AI is certainly something new, and may eliminate the majority of the issues users currently face.
Customer Journey Map
To synthesise better with users, I created a customer journey map to better understand their thought process.
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The two areas where a negative user experience tends to occur is during their onboarding and payment process. Therefore, designing a simple and smooth onboarding process is important to ensure user friction does not occur.
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Returning the the point of designing a subscription based system would eliminate any fears of fraud as users are only charged a fix rate on a monthly basis.
Research
Analysis
3
Design
Prototype
User Flow
It was now time to design the flow. I decided to design a linear flow that explored the journey of a smooth onboarding that followed with the user reserving a parking space.
Sketches
Now it was time to start visually building the redesign. But before I hopped on figma, I first sketched out the design on paper to get a rough idea of how the prototype will look.
Colours & Typography
By sticking with the 60%-30%-10% rule, I was able distinguish colours for different use cases, maintaining a clean interface throughout. In terms of typography I went with something versatile with a lot of weights, therefore landing ‘Inter’.
60%
#FFFFFF
30%
#EBEBEB
10%
#00A88F
Heading
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
Wireframes
l first created a draft for the wireframes to get a better visual understanding of the user flow. I then focused more on the UI to create a more polished user experience. Below you can see the transition.
Draft
Final
Design Validation
Lastly, I conducted a usability test with a participant to validate my final design. The test was successful as they were satisfied with their user experience using Smart Park. Below you can watch the full test to see what they had to say after they completed the test.
Research
Analysis
4
Design
Prototype
Prototype
Now that the wireframes was complete, it was time to bring it to life by adding the prototype. Below you can see how it functions.
