Background
Venue parking is an often overlooked yet crucial element of the concert and live event going experience. Attendees can prepare for every other part of the concert experience other where they are going to park, which can make the experience stressful and confusing.
Scope
UX/UI Design, User Testing, User Interviews, Research
My Role
I worked as the sole prototyper. Additionally I conducted user research, user, interviews, user testing, final screens, and developed visual identity.
Tools
Figma, Figjam, Zeppelin, Miro, Visual Studio Code, Adobe Creative Suite, Zoom
Design Process
My team used the Double Diamond design thinking framework which broke the project into four key phases:
1. Discover: I begin by exploring the problem space, conducting research to understand user needs and uncover insights.
2. Define: I then synthesize findings to clearly articulate the problem, establishing a focused design brief.
3. Develop: In this phase, I brainstorm and prototype potential solutions, iterating based on user feedback.
4. Deliver: Finally, I refine and implement the solution, ensuring it meets user needs and business objectives.
By following these steps, I can navigate the complexities of design challenges and deliver impactful, user-centered solutions.
1. Discover
<span data-metadata=""><span data-buffer="">We began trying to solve the problem of making everyday parking easier
We embarked on a mission to simplify everyday parking challenges, aiming to discover innovative solutions to enhance accessibility and convenience. To gain deeper insights, we sent out a survey and conducted four user interviews.
Until we noticed something exciting
A mojority of the dozens of survey responses we received and then all 4 user interviews gave insights about the difficulty of parking for events and concerts. As a team we discussed our options. Do we continue with the original plan or do we adjust our course? After noting all of the interviews mentioned this one pain point, we came to our conclusion.
Affinity Mapping
The top insights we learned from the data were:
- 100% of people said they struggle to find parking at an event
- 78% of people said that time was important when finding parking
- 66% of people spend 10-20 minute looking for parking at events
- 66% of people have not attended events due to the parking situation
- 78% of people said they would pay for a parking space in advance
Market Research
What are people already using to find parking for venues and events?
At the same time, our team conducted a competitive analysis of the top three apps used by the venue-goers we interviewed. We discovered that none of these apps specifically addressed the exact parking challenges faced by event attendees.
The plan changed….
2. Define
Redefined Problem
The challenge of locating parking at venues during events and concerts
Venue parking is an often overlooked yet crucial element of the concert and live event going experience. Attendees can prepare for every other part of the concert experience other where they are going to park, which can make the experience stressful and confusing.
Goal
Enhance the event venue parking experience by creating a platform that allows users to reserve parking spots in advance.
Developing such a service addresses a common pain point for event attendees, reducing the stress and uncertainty associated with finding parking. By allowing users to reserve spots ahead of time, the platform would ensure a smoother and more enjoyable event experience, ultimately improving overall satisfaction and convenience.
User Journey
Elevating the event parking experience
From the redifined goal, we created a user journey map to illustrate the various stages our user would experience, from searching for parking to securing a spot through our service, while highlighting the emotions felt throughout the entire process.
Guiding Questions
3. Develop
Idea Brainstorming
What could we do differently?
Our idea brainstorming process involved a series of collaborative sessions where team members shared their insights and innovative solutions to enhance the event parking experience. We started by identifying the key pain points from user feedback and competitive analysis. Next, we encouraged open discussion and creative thinking to generate new ideas. Each idea was evaluated based on feasibility, user impact, and alignment with our goal to simplify parking.
We focused on three main areas of improvement:
It was time to hit the drawing board…
Paper Wireframes
Visualizing Initial Concepts
As the sole designer, I sketched out the initial concepts using paper wireframes to quickly visualize and iterate on the layout and functionality of the app. These wireframes served as a foundation for our design discussions and helped us gather early feedback. To further refine the user experience, I created a clickable prototype in InVision, allowing us to interact with the wireframes and identify potential improvements before moving on to higher fidelity designs.
AB Testing
Refining the Parking Spot Selection Process
Mid – Fidelity Prototype
As the sole designer, I began creating mid-fidelity wireframes based on our user-tested paper prototypes.
I created mid-fidelity wireframes within a tight turnaround of 2 days, building upon insights gathered from our user-tested paper prototypes.
Time for some branding!
UI Design Kit
Crafting Accessibility and Modernity
The team and I curated a high-contrast color palette that meets AAA compliance standards. Our color choices, inspired by street aesthetics, aim to reflect dynamic movement. Additionally, we crafted the logo to embody this sense of movement. All colors and fonts were meticulously selected to ensure a clean, crisp, accessible, and modern look throughout the design.
4. Deliver
Final Design
Park n Go: a solution for seamless event parking.
After making adjustments based on user testing and finalizing our branding style guide, I began prototyping the high-fidelity version. Our streamlined Figma design process enabled easy integration of the branding guidelines into pre-made components. Transitioning from the mid-fidelity prototype to the high-fidelity version was seamless, resulting in our final design.
Some MVP features include:
Venue Search
With the search feature, users can easily locate their event, access details, and find its exact location.
The search feature allows users to quickly find their desired event, providing comprehensive details, exact location information, and specific venue parking options tailored to the event.
Booking Your Parking Spot
Securing the Perfect Parking Spot for You
Here, users can preview the parking map, check availability, add their driving information, and complete the purchase.
Reservation Receipt
After reserving a parking spot, users can easily locate their reservation in the “My Parking” section.
After reserving a parking spot, users can easily locate their reservation in the “My Parking” section. Here, they can view both upcoming and past reservations, along with detailed parking and event information for each purchase. Additionally, users have the option to cancel their reservations directly from this section, providing a comprehensive and user-friendly management system.
Other Screens
Thanks to our vibrant and cohesive branding, these elements maintain a consistent and visually appealing look throughout the app.
Future Developments
There’s always room for improvement 🙂
Our team was so pleased with the work we were able to achieve in 3 weeks, from user research to ideation to prototyping to handing it off to the front-end developer on the team. At the same time, there are so many more features we envisioned for this project. If there’s another chance, these are some of the future developments and designs that I considered for the app:
Takeaways
🛠️ Executing Design-to-Development Handoff for a Venue Parking App
Developing our venue parking app provided me with valuable experience in executing the design-to-development handoff in a consumer-facing environment. I created a comprehensive PDF guide with detailed development notes, outlining component types and their usage. I ensured pixel perfection within organized layers in the final design files and exported all assets with precise naming conventions. This meticulous preparation enabled the developers to integrate real-time parking availability, reservation systems, and receipt systems efficiently.
🌟 Practice Makes Perfect
Throughout this project, I honed my skills by consistently seeking feedback from peers and stakeholders through formal design reviews and presentations. It was a significant growth experience to pitch and present my designs at numerous reviews, guide open conversations, and articulate my point of view. I learned when to push back on stakeholder feedback and the importance of maintaining clear communication with my team to remove blockers and balance deadlines effectively. This project reinforced the value of collaboration and iterative improvement in delivering a seamless, user-friendly app.