Existing App Group Project
Role: UI/UX designer
Duration: 3 weeks
Tools: Xd, Figma, Miro, Trello
The Problem
Drivers coming into downtown Toronto spend far too much time looking for secure and convenient parking.
A mobile app for drivers to reserve parking spots and save time.
The solution
Proto persona
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Participants
Our participants are people who frequently drive to downtown, Toronto and are always in search of parking spots.
User Interview
Research Plan
Interview Plan
To gather qualitative data, we interviewed 5 people virtually, without taking much of their time and asking precise questions.
We also did a short survey using google forms which helped us gather our quantitative data.
Kristen
“It happens all the time that when I reach a parking lot I realize that it’s already full. That's why I'm parking on the sidewalk or around the corner behind something temporarily. Usually on a time crunch so it's like I have to park the car because I have to be in that building in five minutes and then I will try to park it anywhere.”
Diego
“I find that a lot of times, it does take me longer than I want. Sometimes I go somewhere, I can let me just drive up to the place and there's parking right there. But then there's been many times where like I've had to drive around for 15 minutes and already if you're late for something and you're having to drive around for 15 minutes, that's annoying.”
Lucas
“In most of the time I prefer not to drive because parking is really hard to find or else it's very expensive. And I think if I didn't have the parking spot I would have would have like, chosen to commute or walk instead.”
In the team, we sorted our ideas and thoughts. Based on this process, we created empathy map and potential user persona for our app.
User Insight
April, an interior designer, who drives a lot to Downtown,Toronto, finds it frustrating to look for a parking every time she has to go for a presentation or meeting with her clients. She would benefit from reducing stress if she can secure the parking spots.
Problem
statement
Drivers in downtown Toronto are finding it hectic to secure a parking spot due to parking constraints. How might we help April increase the quality of her driving experiences, she would benefit from, more precise and dependable parking information.
Prototype Phase
We started our prototype phase with creating a user flow on miro. We made sure a new user is able to easily sign up, create an account, search for parking, reserve and cancel it, and get directions to the parking lot. It was reiterated a couple of times as well to make sure everything is sequential, logical and leads a user to the target action.
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Then, we conducted a competitor analysis. We analyzed four other parking and driving apps and tried to pick out their strengths and weaknesses, which you could see in this table. These include both direct and indirect competitors. This allowed us to find a gap in the market of this sector, understand how to outdo our competitors and keep customers’ attention. Based on this, we were able to prioritize user needs, iterate our user flow and add and remove features from the app.
After conducting a competitor analysis, we started working on our sketches. We tried to get the ideas that we had on paper and then met on a zoom call to discuss the features that we like from each sketch to combine them and create a unique, intuitive design.
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After we have it all together, we started developing logo and wireframes in Figma. Due to the fact that parking in Toronto can be highly stressful, we decided to go with very calming and soothing minimalistic design. That includes almost transparent logo, rounded buttons, and thin delicate font. I also have a QR code here that will take you to our figma prototype if you’d like to click through the app.
Hi-Fi design
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The hi-fi design was designed in Figma, and the goal for this application was to have a straightforward but practical and sophisticated design. The photos of Downtown Toronto were chosen to help users get acquainted with our app.
We specifically chose the green colour as our main theme colour because according to the psychology of design, Green conveys a sense of affluence and is connected with relaxation and security. In fact, our app is to secure available parking spot for our users, thus we want them to feel secure once they book their parking space. Not only will outstanding typography add flair to our app, but our users will subconsciously identify the typeface they pick with our brand. Thus, Monsterrat is Unique shape and we use it as main typography which is consistent typeface that will help us build a strong user base, trust, and take our brand forward.
Guerrilla Testing Plan & Notes
We conducted the Guerrilla test with 4 testers using the lo-fi prototype that is made in Figma. During the tests, testers provided us their process thoughts and genuine opinions which expanded us clear ideas for our app.
User test tasks
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As a new user, user is able to sign in.
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As a recurring user, login and jump into the landing page.
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As a recurring user, user is able to set the password setting.
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As a recurring user, users is able to proceed the payment method.
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As a new/recurring user, user is able to reserve the parking.
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As a new/recurring user, user is able to cancel the reserved parking.
User test issues
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Alignments should be consistent
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Some parts are missing in the app
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Location and parking history are not clear
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Some components didn't function well
Based on this analysis, we have learnt that alignments and margins look inconsistent. As new insight from the tester is that we should introduce the password change option so that users can change their password
Recorded user test
Final thoughts
Overall
Our app was created using the current Green P application as a foundation. Our goal with this application is to provide available parking spots so that drivers may feel safe when saving spots in downtown Toronto. Working with team members contributed significantly to the project's success. Our team members were able to reach out to people of various ages who had driving experience in downtown Toronto, allowing this project to be not only immersive and inclusive, but also to improve the quality of our data.
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New Perspectives
During the brainstorming process, we talked about how users value simplicity. When compared to other parking apps, they feature a simple design that makes it easy to navigate the system. As a result of these observations, we were able to build a simple but instructive approach of guiding users through the use of our app.
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Next Step
Throughout the project, I conducted myself in a respectful and responsible manner. We have become more supportive of one another as a result of our regular meetings. This mentality will be carried on in future collaborative ventures.
