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UX Parking Authority
Project Overview
Parking meters are ubiquitous in dense cities, but their confusing interfaces can result in fines, late arrivals, and towed cars for a variety of users. Both the information presented and the physical machinery can often be overwhelming and overlook user needs. We’re seeing a transition to mobile applications to resolve such issues, but this type of solution excludes people who don’t have access to smartphones or find using mobile apps to be difficult or overly complicated.
Our solution is a quick, efficient, and accessible multimodal street parking experience that streamlines the parking process without dependency on a mobile phone.
During this project my role was a UX researcher, and my responsibilities included:
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UX research: conducting user interviews and usability studies, and building the Wizard of Oz prototype
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UX strategy: building user flows and personas
"How can we make street parking machines in Seattle more accessible and equitable for everyone who uses them?"
Research Methods
68
survey
responses
4
user
observations
6
scenarios
tested
5
usability
participants
2
prototypes
Findings
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Instructions on parking machines are very confusing and not easy to understand.
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Users need an interface that requires the least amount of time.
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Users have difficulty operating the machines because they are not able to see the screen or use the buttons.
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Users crave validation.
Persona
Ideations
Final Design
Physical Machine Redesign
We wanted to focus on using a physical machine versus a phone application for two main reasons:
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so that users who do not have smartphones can still have an efficient parking system
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so users who are reliant on cell phones do not have to worry if their phone is charged and working to be able to pay for parking.
RFID Card Concept, Otter Card
An RFID system was chosen because:
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its proven success in streamlining other modes of public transportation
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the RFID system lends itself to a speedy interaction that is not dependent on WIFI or LTE
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the “tap in”, “tap out” system the user can prevent overpaying for parking, because it eliminates the guesswork of how long they will need parking. The user only pays for the exact time they need, and not a minute longer.
Tap In/Tap Out Process
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Using an RFID-enabled Otter Card, a customer can tap in/tap out to pay for parking
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Customer can save their license plate for speedier service
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In the future, our goal is to combine with existing public transportation services to create an all-in-one card
Additional Features
Improved Visibility
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Our goal was to increase the screen size from small black/white systems to full color 16x20" touch screens
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The jump in screen size provides a spacious keyboard, larger text and larger butttons
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Customers of all abilities felt more confident in their ability to select the right button without mistyping
Balance Confirmation
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Users can add funds to their Otter card at any machine
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Users can reload card with a credit card that can be one time use or saved to their account
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Users can also add funds using cash
Adjustable Screen
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Added adjust buttons to all screens
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The customer can decide which interface is most appropriate for them
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We referenced ADA guidelines to ensure the height of the low adjusted touch screen was compliant to their standard of not placing any usable item above 48" from the ground
Map Receipt
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During our research we learned that there was room for improvement of the ticket artifact information and discovered that people sometimes forget where they park.
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We added a printable map in order to help orient users to their vehicle, so whether the user is from out of town or in a new neighborhood, they have a map that can help them find their way back to their car.
Usability Study Findings
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Although introducing the implementation of an RFID card was a confusing process at first, the users thought it was useful that we integrated an RFID card system, the OTTER card, in addition to supporting other expected types of payment; they thought we should expand OTTER card for the end-to-end experience
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Users were able to efficiently navigate through the larger tablet-based screen-it was considered generally easy to get around and complete tasks (noting that some adjustments to terminology would make the UI clearer and more intuitive).
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Users liked the confirmation provided at the end of the interaction, which included payment confirmation, and a map of the current location. They were glad to be able to orient themselves with it and were excited about the option to print a receipt with the map on it.
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Future prototypes should not only improve on the artifacts found on the screen interface, but also include the physical and spatial context of the prototype, e.g., the parking meter itself, surrounding signage, and the environment. Without the actual physical interaction of paying to park, seeing/touching the physical parking meter, and tapping the RFID card to the reader, this medium-fidelity prototype usability evaluation was limited to only the information and interaction presented on our touchscreen.
Wizard of Oz Prototyping
Based on the usability feedback​ mentioned above about testing with a physical prototype, I built a Wizard of Oz prototype using my computer monitor to help users to better understand the overall interaction experience between the physical machine and the digital interface.
Prototype
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