London Parking
Mobile Parking Experience
Overview
Time
2 Weeks
My Role
UX/UI Designer
Tool
Sketch (Visual Design)
Adobe XD
Adobe Photoshop CC
Adobe Illustrator CC
Pen and paper (Mock Up
Problem
Driving into central London during rush hour can be a nightmare, not to mention the scarcity of parking locations and the many who receive parking violations payable to the local borough. A lot of pay stations don’t take cash which leaves you with having to pay by phone or via an app. The entire process can be time consuming and complex.
Research
Inspiration Mood Board
Like the contrast of the blue and green as they go well with each other.
I like the amount of space for the map along with details below with display picture.
The use of the green icon on both pages works well along with current location.
The selected icon and the info on top of it stands out well with the yellow.
I like the image of the view of the road so you get a clear visual of the parking available.
Love night mode used with dark background with the red icons.
Like the colour and layout used as it looks eco friendly.
Another good layout I like and the icon used.
The icons used for for the parking location stand really well with the colours used
Like the use of car slots to show what's available and booked.
Love the card payment page and map used next to it.
Like the layout and the use of green and how subtle it's used in each page.
It shows the street view of where you're parking and type of vehicle.
User Interviews
Key Insights
Takeaways
User interviews were conducted at one of the busiest areas in London called Leicester Square. I interviewed everyone that paid for their parking through the app. There were quite a few points that were made but a few of them kept on coming up and they were the key insights.
1. Parking in Central London can be difficult if you're not from the area as it isn't clear which app to use for each parking location. You have to go through multiple parking apps to find the right one. Having one app for the whole of London would be ideal.
2. Parking experience is always key to customers. If not done correctly or not back in time before parking session expires you can be given an expensive fine.
3. Customers don't only park between the hours of 8:00am - 6:30pm. They also park evening and weekends so you can park in London for free only if you know where to park. If not, again, you will be given an expensive fine.
Parking in London can be stressful especially if you're short on time. The key is to keep the process as simple and smooth as possible. Allowing the customer to confirm location, vehicle registration, time duration, card details and confirmation. I believe if the process is designed correctly it can enhance the parking experience.
Phone Conversation with ...
I wanted to see if customers complain to the council with regards to parking companies and their apps. I couldn't get a meet up with anyone from City of Westminster council but I had a conversation with one of their representatives. The conversation was brief as he couldn't divulge a lot of information.
He explained that the reason why there are multiple parking companies in Westminster is because they have different rates in different locations. They tried to get one company to manage it all but the rates weren't competitive so they split it out.
He also mentioned that some of the companies are a nightmare to deal with and do get a high volume of complaints but could't give me a quantitive number.
Card Sorting
I hosted a card sorting session to help organise and optimise features on each page. This will help build a better digital experience for users. Whilst doing the session I noticed that most people agreed on what features and functions should be implemented. This gave me a great indication that I was on the right step to building a great mobile parking experience.
User Journey
After speaking to the group we all agreed that Ringo is the most used app in Westminster. We decided to do the user journey from the moment we drive through to interacting with the app and collecting the car. We thought it would be interesting to get everyone's perspective of the whole journey and process.
OPPORTUNITIES
How can I make traffic and parking information more accessible to users?
How can I incorporate the app and finding parking to the nearest place to park.
How can I make sure that user could easily follow the law.
How can I find a better user experience through app.
How can I find a better UI through app design
Could receipt be stored in the app and potentially sent to email.
Could create an extend function for the duration and end of the parking.
Need a way to implement finding your car once you have parked it. So you know where it incase you don't remember.
STAGES
GOAL
USER
THOUGHTS
STRESS LEVELS
Drive to
destination
Find a parking spot
Interaction with app
Extend parking time
Pick up car
Get to the destination as safe and effective as possible
Find the cheapest and and nearest place to park
Find nearest parking meter while opening parking app
Enter license
plate.
Make payment
View the receipt.
Specify the time
Extend parking
Pickup car in time
“Could I get there by public transport?”
“Parking in London is a nightmare, where will I park?”
“I don’t want to park to far from the car, where is the nearest parking space”
“What are the parking rates for this area? Is there any other parking rule?”
“Where is the location number?”
“I wish there was more display signs for the location number?”
“What is my license number?”
“How long should I park for?”
“Entering payment details can be time consuming.”
“London parking is so expensive!”
“I should save the receipt as it’s a business expense.”
“How long do I want to extend for?”
“Where did I park my car?”
“I hope I didn’t get a parking ticket.”
Design
Sketches
With the opportunities from the user journey, card sorting and mood board this gave me a few ideas for the sketches and functions that need to be implemented in to the app.
Landing Page
Home Page
Duration Page
Payment Page
Confirmation Page
Wireframes
Landing Page
Home Page
Duration Page
Payment Page
Confirmation Page
Final Design
Landing Page
Home Page
Duration Page
Payment Page
Confirmation Page
Solution
London parking is my concept solution for the ideal parking app in London. The solution was to visually present your available parking locations with the option of free parking if available. Sometimes it's unclear where to park and what parking location match the street you're on as the roads can be long and have multiple parking location numbers on the same road. I also added a current location marker with an arrow to direct what way you're going. With these new features it should reduce the amount of issues and fines users get.
Conclusion
User Testing
Goal And Methodology
User Testing Task
Once final designs and prototypes were completed I came back to the group to test out the prototype just to get some feedback on the concept. The prototype isn't fully functional but is enough to showcase the booking function.
Goal: To successfully have the user navigate through the parking process to each each step without any confusion. Also being able to go back if a mistake is made and make a correction if needed.
Methodology: The usability test consisted of ten users and a set of tasks written out to be followed by the user.
Task 1: Navigate each page of the parking process and being able to move back and fourth seamlessly through the pages.
Task 2: Navigate through the whole process and being able to extend session once process is completed.
Key Learning
Key: During the testing I found out when the users were getting to the last page of the process there were two buttons that looked exactly the same which caused a lot of confusion. In the next phrase of development I will change the colour of the button and instead of putting them on top of each other I will put them side by side which should increase space on the screen.
One of the users made me aware that some parking locations have parking limits on how long you can park. On the next development phase, I will add a message with regards to parking limits when setting your time. Also send text or notification to let them know when they have10 minutes remaining so they can extend their time if necessary and avoid penalties. The free parking toggle shouldn't be active until off peak times.
Next Steps
1. Take the feedback from the user testing and make adjustments by doing sketches and wireframes.
2. Develop an up to date solution.
3. To do further testing on the final solution and use the feedback to help improve the UX/UI of the parking process.
