Digital Parking Disc App
Improved the user experience and engagement through extensive user research and usability testing, leading to increased app usage.
Industry
Parking
Timeline
February - March 2024
My Role
UX/UI Designer
Project Manager
Client
Context
About Parking Time
Parking Time is a startup offering a digital parking disc app designed to simplify the parking process for municipalities and drivers. Their goal is to make parking easier by transitioning drivers and municipalities from traditional analog parking discs to a digital solution.
The Previous App
To activate parking, users need to enter the app, register with their car's registrations number if it's their first time, then use the map, search function or zone list to find and select their desired parking location, then they can review any applicable rules, start parking and then close the app.
Issues
While this procedure is relatively simple and straight-forward it still was not as efficient as the traditional analog parking disc as we discovered in our interviews and usability tests. Some other issues were also identified:
Visual Clutter with unnecessary elements, such as a non-interactive parking disc wheel.
Low Contrast & Accessibility
More complicated to use than a traditional parking disc, deterring potential users.
Overview
This project was part of a three-week course. Our team worked to improve the user experience of the clients digital parking disc app as a school project.
Problem Statement
"How can Parking Time persuade drivers to choose their digital parking disc over the analog one?"
Objective
Make the digital parking disc a preferred choice over the traditional paper one. This would be done through research, creative design, and usability testing.
Research and Insights
Understanding User Needs
We conducted in-depth user research and market analysis to uncover what drivers really need in a parking app.
Gaining Critical Insights Through Interviews
We conducted 14 qualitative interviews with a diverse group of drivers to understand their experiences and preferences regarding digital parking discs and parking apps in general. Key findings were:
None of the participants knew that a digital parking disc existed.
64% preferred it over traditional parking discs when hearing about the concept.
Users strongly desired simplicity and ease of use in app features, wanting parking apps to be as straightforward as possible without unnecessary features.
These insights were very helpful in identifying user preferences, ensuring that our design aligned with their needs.
Bringing Users to Life Through personas
Insights from our interviews allowed us to create personas witch helped us to focus on the different needs and behaviors of our target audience:
Persona 1 is a user, who values convenience and is frustrated by the limitations of traditional parking discs. This persona looks for efficient digital solutions that simplify their routine.
Persona 2: An experienced driver who is comfortable with the analog system but could be swayed by an app that offers clear advantages without complicating the process.
Watching the Competitors
We analyzed key competitors like MOBILL PARKING, EASY PARK, and PARKSTER.
MOBILL PARKING is the only competitor offering a digital parking disc. Although they only operate in Stockholm and larger cities, while our client was established in smaller cities making them less of a threat for now.
Other apps like EASY PARK and PARKSTER only offers paid parking and not a digital parking disc but has the resources to develop one if they chose to.
This analysis highlighted gaps in the market and areas where Parking Time could stand out, particularly by making the app more intuitive and user-friendly that potential competitors apps.
ideation
Creating and Evaluation Concepts
We started off with brainstorming ideas and then evaluating them in a priority matrix. This was useful to make sure we focused on the most promising ideas. Then we voted for the the winning concepts.
Winning concepts
Understanding the Current User Flow
From this brainstorming we came up with some early features. But to not get ahead of ourselves we created a flowchart of the current app to better understand its structure what we wanted to change and how:
Creating a New User Flow
From there we created our own flowchart with wireframes
By creating our own flowchart with wireframes we saved time and gained an even greater understanding of our concept and how to achieve it. Now we began prototyping.
Prototyping
Wireframes: Setting a Foundation
To establish a strong visual and functional structure, we started by creating low-fidelity wireframes. These wireframes helped us to define the apps layout, navigation, and primary features. Our goal was to prioritize ease of use, clear information presentation, and seamless navigation, all based on the needs and frustrations we had identified during our initial research.
Usability testing
Evaluating our Design
After creating our mid-fidelity wireframes, we conducted 8 usability tests to evaluate the design. The focus was on understanding how users interacted with the initial design and identifying areas for improvement.
Positive Feedback
Clear Layout and Flow
Test participants appreciated the simplicity and clarity of the layout. They found the interface straightforward and understood how to navigate and interact with key features.
Easy Map Navigation
The color-coded map was well-received, helping users quickly identify parking zones and understand restrictions.
Easily Accessible Session Management
Users liked the simple, clear and accessible interface for start, manage, and end parking sessions, making the process smoother and less confusing.
Areas for Improvement
Navigation Structure
Some users found the navigation somewhat confusing, especially when trying to access essential functions.
Visual Clutter
Some elements in the early designs were deemed non-essential and led to visual clutter.
Icon Clarity
Certain icons and labels weren’t immediately clear to users. We received feedback to improve the visual hierarchy and icon clarity, ensuring better user understanding.
This feedback highlighted the need to rethink the menu structure to ensure more intuitive access to key features. Some users also suggested simplifying the interface to keep the focus on what mattered most—parking management.
Applying Feedback to Refine the Design
Simplified Navigation with a bottom sheet witch consolidates essential functions into one swipeable interface at the bottom of the screen, making it more intuitive.
We removed unnecessary elements that were identified as clutter, enhancing the overall user experience by focusing on core features.
We improved the design and clarity of icons, ensuring users could easily understand and interact with the app’s features.
These changes were crucial in ensuring that the final app design not only met the users’ needs but also provided a seamless and efficient experience. By iterating on the design based on real user feedback, we were able to create a more polished and user-friendly solution.
Final design
Solution: Parking Made Simple
Building on user feedback, we refined the design to focus on simplicity and ease of use. The result is a streamlined app that removes complexity and ensures a smooth parking experience, addressing the pain points uncovered during research.
Impact
Project Outcome
Key Insights
Our research showed that users have a strong preference for simple, easy-to-use digital parking solutions, which challenged our initial assumptions. These insights are crucial for the client to better target their audience and refine the app’s future development.
Client Feedback
Parking Time was highly satisfied with the outcome of our project. The CEO, Matilda Öhman, expressed her satisfaction, stating:
Matilda Öhman
CEO - Parking Time
"Ludvig provided valuable insights that increased user engagement with our app and contributed to the development of a modern website aligned with our brand vision. His ability to understand and address customer needs resulted in a design we are extremely pleased with."
This successful collaboration led to Parking Time returning to us for a second project, where we worked together to enhance their website.
Reflection
Reflection
What I Learned
This project was a great learning experience, showing how important it is to listen to users and adapt based on their feedback. The lessons I learned here will definitely shape how I approach future projects. One big lesson was realizing how user input can change a project’s direction. At first, we didn’t think people would be interested in a digital parking disc. But our research showed us that users actually wanted a simple, easy-to-use app. This taught me not to rely on assumptions and to base decisions on real data.
Challenges and How We Handled Them
Time was a challenge since we only had three weeks. Balancing extensive research with design work was challenging. We used agile methods like daily check-ins to stay on track. If I could do it again, I’d spend more time on user testing to make the final design even better.
What Worked Well
One of the best parts of the project was how we quickly adapted based on what users told us. Simplifying the app’s features to focus on ease of use was a direct result of listening to them. This made the app more user-friendly and fit perfectly with what the client wanted.
Looking Forward
Given more time, we’d continue refining the app through additional user testing, ensuring it meets expectations for ease of use and functionality.
