Case Study
Park-EZ
END-TO-END MOBILE APP FOR SAN FRANCISCO DRIVERS
An app that informs users of parking restrictions in San Francisco.
ROLE
UX RESEARCHER
UX/UI DESIGNER
SCOPE
MVP MOBILE APP
BRANDING
TOOLS
FIGMA
FIGJAM
Duration
80 HOURS
Problem Statement
Users need easy access to parking restriction information and signage in order to avoid unnecessary citations.
Solution
Park-EZ is a location-based mobile app that notifies users of parking restrictions and automatically sets alarms for those times when you are in a rush.
Overview
With parking restrictions being a reality of city living, it can be difficult to keep track of so many parking restrictions all the time in San Francisco, especially street cleaning citations. With so many different weekly cleaning schedules it can be easy to lose track or miss the information entirely. While all these citations and revenue are good news for the city, it is an inconvenience and sometimes detrimental to people's budget, especially when inflation is at an all-time high.
2. DEFINE
1. RESEARCH
3. DESIGN
4. TEST
RESEARCH
Componets
PRELIMINARY RESEARCH
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
USER INTERVIEWS
AFFINITY MAPPING
Research Goals
Identify the ways users currently identify safe parking spots
Uncover the reasons why street sweeping citations outpace all others.
Increase my understanding of current competitor apps.
Identify opportunities and features lacking in the current market.
SF MUnicipal Transportation Agency Data (SFMTA)
CITATIONS FROM JAN. 1 2022, THROUGH AUG. 5, 2022.
CITATIONS FROM JAN. 1 2022, THROUGH AUG. 5, 2022.
After my preliminary research identified street sweeping as the leading problem that many san Francisco residents deal with, I found a few existing apps focused on parking in San Francisco.
Competitive Analysis
These apps provided detailed information that included: towing, street cleaning and time restrictions, which are very helpful to the user.
The apps had great UI that included signs easily identifiable by SF residents.
Features included parking reminders and alarms to help remind users of parking restrictions.
My competitive analysis lead me to wonder:
Why are SF residents still so susceptible to street sweeping citations with 3 well designed apps available in the market?
User Interviews
With my interest focused on learning more about why users continue to get street sweeping citations, despite good competitor apps I was able to interview SF drivers. I centered my questions around their current parking habits and learning more about the times they got a citation.
Interview Overview
5 People were interviewed. All of them San Francisco residents who drive and park in the city.
They included drivers that don’t have a garage and park on city streets and 2 participants who park in a residential/commercial garage.
One participant lived downtown in a more restricted areas.
Interview Findings
5 participants were interviewed via Zoom
Define
2. DEFINE
1. RESEARCH
3. DESIGN
4. TEST
Componets
PERSONA
SITE MAP
FEATURE ROADMAP
Personas
The culmination of the preliminary research, competitive analysis and user interviews pointed to the users multitasking tendency and forgetfulness as a pain point that needed to be addressed. It also confirmed my hypothesis that the missing element and opportunity was in the use of automatic push notification and alarms for those busy times users simply forget.
Building Empathy
One of the most impactful things I was reminded of from the interviews was how truly stressful it is to receive a citation.
““In this economy it’s upsetting and ruins my day because it could have been prevented””
Click to Enlarge
Understanding the user’s core needs allowed me to think about most important content for the Park-EZ app. The questions I kept asking myself were:
What are the user’s core needs?
What belongs in the navigation?
How can I help users who simply forget?
Feature Roadmap
Site map
2. DEFINE
1. RESEARCH
3. DESIGN
4. TEST
Design
Componets
LO-FI WIREFRAMES
BRANDING
UI KIT
HI-FI WIREFRAMES
Design
My design process began with prioritizing the design of the notification screen because it addressed the user’s core need for a reminder so that they won’t forget. The need for easy access to parking information guided my Lo-Fi wireframes.
Lo-Fi Wireframes
Lock Screen
Lock screen push notification
when parking is detected.In app signage with parking detailed
parking restriction information.
Home Screen
Quick filters to find specific parking.
In app signage with parking detailed
parking restriction information.
Alarm Screen
Automatic alarms set after parking with edit capabilities.
Settings Screen
User setting controls
Branding
I anchored my branding in values that reflect what I’ve learned from user interviews.
Accessible
Reliable
Trust
Safety
It was important to me to differentiate Park-EZ from other existing parking apps. Competitive research revealed a saturation in parking apps utilizing a bright blue color in their in primary or accent colors with 3/3 competitor apps following this trend. This guided me towards other options and finally settling on brown because it is also associated with strength and reliability, security and safety. These are brand values that our users are looking for in an app they trust for reliable parking information.
Logo
Dark Logo Treatment
Light Logo Treatment
Mood Board
The color palette was inspired by the familiar colors of the city streets: asphalt, signs and traffic signals.
Incorporated the familiarity of San Francisco street sign style into the Park-EZ UI.
Color
Typography
UI Kit
Hi-Fi Wireframes
I began my HI-FI Wireframes by revisiting my persona and keeping the core needs of my user at the center of the design. This simple action helped ground myself in the data I gathered from my user interviews and made the design process more organic.
2. DEFINE
1. RESEARCH
3. DESIGN
4. TEST
Test
Componets
USABILITY TESTING
ITERATIONS
Methodology
A high-fidelity prototype was used in a moderated usability test via zoom. Participants shared their screen during the test so that I can observe their actions while completing tasks.
Participants
4 SF residents who drive and park in the city.
Goals
Test how users navigate the initial push notification.
Observe how participants navigate into the app from the app.
Get feedback on the overall feel of the design and its functionality.
Test whether participants successfully complete assigned task and note any hesitation, confusion or positive feedback.
Usability Test
Iterations
Notification Feedback
Alarm Feedback
Map Feedback
Case Study Reflections
User Centered Design
This project helped deepen my understanding of user centered design because it was anchored in addressing the whole user experience to solve a real world problem. Anytime I faced doubt or was faced with a new question, the answer was always rooted in understanding the the user’s needs.
Solving the Right Problem
Another insight is the importance of identifying the right problem to solve. I feel confident that this project was a success because of participants desire to have this be a real app. It resonated with participants because it is a real challenge in San Francisco to avoid unnecessary citations with so many restrictions.
If Given More Time
I would focus on onboarding to help new users when they first arrive. That first impression of users is crucial to the success of an app because it can capitalize on the natural excitement of a novel app. I enjoy learning about new features on apps and enjoy interacting with well designed onboarding.