ParkedIn
Timeline
Jan - Apr 2023
Tools
Figma, Miro, Zoom
Role
Secondary research, primary research, prototype redesign
Team
Helen Chan (me), Dani DeJong, Joyce Ng, Mobolaji Edun, Yuet Ming Wong
Project Overview
The current app for UofT’s accessible parking system is problematic as it does not meet WCAG 2.1 standards. Therefore, the redesign of the ParkedIn mobile app is meant to improve accessibility and enhance the overall experience of parking for people with mobility limitations.
Goals of the Redesign
1
Allow people to efficiently find a parking spot to save time.
2
Be able to reserve an accessible parking spot.
3
Find an accessible parking spot close to the building entrance.
Purpose of Solving the Problem
The landscape of downtown parking is challenging enough for people who want to reserve accessible parking spaces. To make parking as accessible as possible, my team aims to improve the navigation and reduce the frustrations associated with having access to campus buildings.
There is also a potential attitudinal barrier of making people with motor disabilities acquire an MTO permit, get it approved by the university, and pay additional parking fees in order to have access to accessible parking.
It is imperative to have the university adhere to Ontario laws when it comes to following accessibility guidelines.
Secondary Research - Comparative Analyses Findings
My team conducted a comparative analysis by comparing accessibility resources among different Canadian universities. Here are our findings:
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McGill and Brock have interactive maps with various customization features. For example, McGill provides filtering for various types of wheelchair users. Brock provides accessible parking and accessible washroom options.
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Most universities do not offer accessible shuttle bus services. UofT has a limited wheel trans initiative that is only available on the Scarborough campus.
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Students usually need a valid MTO permit and pay accessible parking fees. The exceptions to this rule are McMaster and Brock.
My team also reviewed parking apps such as Blue Badge, Wheelmate, and Parking Mobility:
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All apps have an interactive map and various filters for customizability.
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Blue Badge allows users with wheelchair-accessible vehicles to view the parking space via street level view, map, and satellite views.
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Wheelmate integrates the search of accessible facilities (e.g., restrooms) with accessible parking.
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Parking Mobility allows users to report accessible parking spot abuse by sending report claims to governmental departments.
Primary Research Findings
To further understand the experiences and challenges people with mobility limitations faced, we looked at social media sources such as Reddit. A discussion thread on Reddit shares the challenges a student faced while trying to find a parking spot on their university campus. This student faced resistance and dismissal from fellow students and university representatives. The thread displays attitudinal barriers towards people with motor disabilities.
We also interviewed a member of UofT’s transportation services department to have a more in-depth understanding of the current parking landscape. The interviewee revealed that students have to connect with Health & Wellness services to access accessible parking spaces. Not every building has its own dedicated accessible parking space due to the lack of space downtown. This highlights the importance of having parking information easily available, so that users can easily navigate the parking system.
UofT’s Current Flow of the ParkedIn App
Issues:
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No accessibility features or filters.
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Not compatible with assistive technology and accessibility guidelines (e.g., colour contrast).
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Needing to acquire a Ministry of Transportation (MTO) permit and a permit from the school seems to be too excessive in a multi-step process.
Opportunities for Improvement:
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Add an interactive map with real-time information via sensors (i.e., sensors via smart parking).
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Centralize all information in one place to make finding resources and information easier.
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Make the app compatible with assistive technology and accessibility guidelines (e.g., WCAG 2.1).
Redesign Iteration 1
We chose to integrate the redesign within the current university ecosystem rather than disrupting it. Our primary and secondary research findings informed the revamp of the current app. I created the initial redesign above. Afterwards, my team members and I walked through the storyboard with the subject matter expert and iterated further.
To improve the app, we did the following:
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Facilitated information finding and increased information availability by including customizability, filtering, and sorting options.
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Added an interactive real-time map by integrating smart parking functionalities to show users whether accessible parking is available at a particular location.
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Integrating information finding into the parking reservation workflow to minimize user efforts and enhance intuitive navigation.
Redesign Iteration 2
We discussed and prioritized areas of improvements to redesign the second interaction. We focused on the following:
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Ensuring colour contrast meets accessibility guidelines. The orange was too light on a white background in the previous iteration.
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Adding more text and information hierarchy
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Reworded labels and CTAs to make action buttons clearer.
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Enabling compatibility with assistive technology (e.g., users can use voice input to minimize effort of manual input text fields).
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Adding more filters and alternate route options for customization to individual needs.
Stakeholder Feedback
We spoke with the subject matter expert again to collect their feedback. We walked them through the storyboard and prototype during the feedback session.
The subject matter expert questioned the feasibility of our redesign and stated that parking fees go towards maintaining parking facilities and are not used to make profit.
To-Be Storyboard Visualization
This storyboard helps us visualize the future state of accessible parking at UofT. This storyboard was presented to our subject matter expert for further input to identify gaps in our redesign. This allowed for iterative improvement after this final feedback.
Redesign Iteration 3
In the final version of our redesign, we did the following updates:
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Reintroducing payment process. We added a screen to indicate what the payment is for because we felt transparent communication was important.
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Added license plate to ensure online reservations are booked by the corresponding vehicle at the designated time.
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Added confirmation messages after payment to let users know that booking is completed.
Final Prototype
Lessons Learned
The feasibility of our redesign should also take into account the management politics of an organization. In this case, UofT is a decentralized organization so implementing changes may be very challenging. It may be necessary to educate the university community about the new parking scheme to enforce it effectively or otherwise, we may experience their potential resistance to change.
It is important to understand the technical constraints of the design. For example, our team might have difficulty integrating the final solution with existing transportation options such as the UofT Mississauga shuttle bus.
Designing for accessibility is not always an easy feat to achieve. We haven’t thoroughly considered the data and security aspects of this app. For next steps, we would implement further research and testing into these aspects because potential breaches of security can cause harm to the user, especially if they identify as a person with a disability and view it as sensitive and personal information to disclose.