Street parking is a very confusing and often stressful activity. Parking signs are often very confusing and easily misread. Currently there is strong cognitive dissonance between the complex decision process in parking and the complexity of signage, creating lots of anxiety and frustration.
In the year 2028, new technologies and smart cities will allow new opportunities for street parking solutions. This project utilizes such IoT technologies to help you find your parking spot.
How Might We...
- How might we improve public street parking experience?
- How might we help prevent people from violating parking restrictions?
- How might we reduce confusion and frustration with public street parking?
There are many factors involved in choosing a parking spot:
Accident avoidance | Social etiquette | Proximity | Time available | Risk (ticket/damage/tow) | Time of Day | Cost (monetary) | Ease of parking | Familiarity with neighborhood | Safety (illumination/public/high visibility/secure) | Type (Street/structure/residential/city) | Signage - hierarchy of read (while driving/in-person) | and many more...
Decisions are made in 3 stages:
- 1st order of decision is quality of parking spot
- 2nd order of decision is availability of options
- 3rd order of decision is recommendations from others
Pain Points:
- Not sure about the parking situation at an unfamiliar destination.
- Frustration with parking tickets due to not knowing local parking regulations and times.
- Confused by complicated parking regulation signage.
- Anxious when trying to find a parking spot under time constraints for an appointment.
- Anxiety with parking in a difficult spot.
The new parking assistance app will help mitigate confusion and frustration that drivers experience during the search for public street parking in urban areas. The app does the most of the work for finding a space, and the driver needs only to drive and park. This will resolve the cognitive dissonance between complex parking signage and complex decision making, ultimately alleviating anxiety in public parking.
Assumptions:
- Smart cities are connected to Internet of Things (IoT) using information and communication technology (ICT).
- Every sign or parking zone has a digital component that is connected to IoT.
- People use their smartphones to help in their travel and navigation needs.
- IoT will be well integrated in 5-7 years into our daily lives.
Urban Living
Navigation
Vehicle Parking
Drivers w/ a personal vehicle
Urban Areas w/ Parking Restrictions
Isaac Tseng
Interaction Design
User Research
Rapid Prototyping
