Overview
Park Pal was a project completed using the Goal-Directed Design method for my class Interactive Design 1. The purpose was to create an app that makes it easier to find convenient, affordable parking. As a team, we researched the difficulties of finding good parking, conducted user interviews, created a user persona, and we completed a competitive audit along with an affinity map.
Objective
ParkPal aims to be the go-to solution for convenient parking, making every journey a smooth and enjoyable experience. We are dedicated to creating a safe and effortless commuting experience for a diverse range of commuters.
My Role
As a part of this team, I conducted user interviews and worked with my team to create the user persona and identify the goals for this project.In designing this project, I created the map page, home page, and the review page. I also prototyped a majority of the interactions and created the components for my pages.
The Problem Statement
The current state of parking in urban areas is a common challenge faced by many cities, and the cost of parking has substantially increased. Park Pal has focused primarily on using GPS to locate nearby parking garages/lots at a cheaper price. Our product/service will address this gap by using crowd sourced data to locate the best options for the user and give them honest reviews.
Our Solution
Users will save valuable time by quickly identifying available parking. Park Pal will not only reduce the time to find parking, but also walking time, because Park Pal will find parking near your desired destination. These solutions are carried out by the map page, home page, and the search bar functions . With Park Pal reviews, you can get even more information about the pricing and safety of the area before you park.
The Process
Research
In the research phase our team started out by defining our problem statement and our solution. After that portion was complete, we moved into our Lit Review where we conducted research on parking rates and stresses involved with parking. We then completed a competitive audit where we identified our biggest competitors and assessed their pros and cons. Following the competitive audit, we completed a persona hypothesis template where we talked about what we thought our best persona would look like.
Modeling
During the modeling phase, our team established behavioral variables based on our interviews. These variables defined the major themes that we found during our questioning. After we completed this step, we used the behavioral variables to create our persona.
Design
For our design, we wanted our interface to be simple and accessible, especially for when Parker, our persona, is in a rush to meet up with her friends downtown.
During the design process, we faced some challenges due to limited guidance in our course material. However, our team took the initiative to research the method to better our understanding of Goal-Directed Design. This proactive approach not only helped us complete the project successfully but also strengthened our collaborative problem-solving skills and adaptability.
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