The current University Parking Services Website. Is it Fixable?
The thought process
For my project I am deciding to design a mobile interface that doesn’t really exist currently at the Uconn Storrs Campus. Though there isn’t an exact mobile interface to review currently, there is a current situation that college students on campus, teachers, and commuters have pertaining to parking. As a transfer student, I myself found myself struggling with a car on campus since the start of my junior year. I mean literally the first day on campus I was given a ticket. I knew since then what I was dealing with.
Some more of these problems came later and soon found out I was not the only person dealing with them:
- Finding parking in a lot High Priority
- Not knowing where I can park on campus High Priority
- Receiving ticket after ticket High Priority YAY!!!!!!!!
- Paying a ticket and paying them on time High Priority
- Signage is very confusing Low Priority
- Not enough parking spaces Low Priority
The list goes on and even though everyone has had their own individual problems arise while having a car on campus majority of students and I feel like Uconn can do a much better job at helping students. Some things that are talked about included Uconn building new gyms and many other unnecessary buildings, the need to make these spaces into more available parking, permits being a better price, and/or having a better parking system instead of the confusing website that you have to dig through to find something important. These topics are discussed between students and since many of these are problems that will not be fixed I have come up with something I hope will one day work for both Uconn and everyone visiting the campus and living on campus.
A Mobile UCONN Parking Application!!!!
So where do I start…Oh well let’s start here with the current interface.
UX Review: Current UCONN Parking Services Site
As you can see nothing gets straight to the point. You have to go searching through the site or do a google search and hope you get lucky. We live in a society that if something does not catch your eye right away you continue scrolling or find it being very hard to want to use the interface in general. The website has a lot of useful information like paying for a ticket or the way in which you can contact parking services but if you have to read through the web page to find things that should be high priority you would call that poor UX Design.
Design Hierarchy
Functionality
The website does complete the general task that is asked by the user. Even though it may take a user a bit to figure everything out, they will eventually get to their intended destination. Whether it is a older or younger individual who has never used a computer before and has to ask an experienced user for help, most objectives on the site seem reachable.
Reliability
The site helps students get around campus and is updated frequently with upcoming events. The site also features quick link some of what the site has to offer. The sites fails in some way to bring convenience to the user and simple ways they could fix it would be to have t prominent links like pay for a citation. Upcoming events are nice to know about but if the site is not performing the minimum request of the user maybe venturing out and adding other sections is not the way to go.
Usability
Fail big time. In my personal opinion the site uses way to many drop down menus and some are so clear as to what you will be executing. The search bar is a plus but I feel like with a site like this a search bar should be stand out me to help the user find what they are looking for easier.
Though I will say I like the responsiveness of the website when the window is shrink down to mobile size. I think the way they simplified the site works pretty well. Almost makes it seem more user friendly.
Creativity
There is any creative at all on this site. Instead of incorporating a gallery that has something to do with parking services and make that department stand out, the site delivers images that that have been taking around the campus. Something I would see on UCONN’s main site but why would I want or care to see it when I search a specific department within UCONN. Adding other things from other department does not give me the user a sense of creativity on Parking Services but definitely a sense of laziness and lack of trying to keep up with the time. The site is updated on its content but since I’ve visited the site I have not noticed a any big chances. If there were any and no one really notices then whats the point? Keeping up with trends and modernizing the site could help to give it a better look, feel, and all around sense of creativity.
User Stories
This section contains two user stories and what they had to say concerning the current interface situation and their ideas of how an mobile application would be helpful
Name: Kevin Ortiz
-Gender: Male
-Status: Student Driver
-Campus: Storrs & Stamford
His thoughts:
The parking at UCONN right now is not the best. Most of the time we will get tickets because the 300 dollars permit we buy is only good for one parking lot. Sometimes we can’t even find parking at our designated lot and have to park somewhere else but if we do so we will get a ticket. Another thing about the parking is that we pay a lot of money for a permit and they cannot seem to make another parking lot or repair the ones we have now. A suggestion I can make is to remove most of the area 2 parking spots and place a marker number on them. The marker number can then be implemented into the app. For example, like the Parks Mobile App. Once the student buys a permit, they can register it through the app, hopefully allowing the student to park anywhere. Of course that brings an issue of whether the lot they want to park at is full. They are multiple ways of notifying the student of spot availability. One, the app can allow the student to pre-select their ideal lots and then send them push notifications to see if the lots are full or how many spots are remaining. Two, since using your phone and driving isn’t ideal, the app could have the capability of passing information to a screen by the parking lots (e.g. screens can be added to the lot post names) that’s has the total number of spot available and how many remain. This seems like a way that allows a win-win situation, UCONN gets money from permit, which more students will be willing to buy because they can park anywhere, and the student can park wherever they please.
Name: Tamara E
-Gender: Female
-Status: Student Driver
-Campus: Storrs & Stamford
Her thoughts:
Firstly, we should be allowed to appeal tickets on the app. Secondly, if a lot is full, it would be helpful to know instead of wasting time going there. Thirdly, UCONN parking is trash. I paid $270 for my parking sticker and if I come on campus after 6pm there is never any parking. And UCONN says they don’t give out more tickets than there is parking spot but that’s obviously a lie. Why do they need that second football field? They should take that apart and expand D-lot. Also, every parking spot is area 2 like students should be able to have those parking spots because teachers and professors already got mad parking lots dedicated to them. UCONN could hire student workers (create job) which will then allow a sort of toll system like north garage and using cameras or student observers, a parking ticketing system where you take a ticket(that has a parking spot number) and return it then the app would notify you when it was open. Then the student could put your parking on hold for like 5–10 minutes. the app should included the parking map. Have a quick message box on the app and actually have someone reply from parking services; I really just had to advocate for that because i one time spent an hour looking for parking and I emailed parking services and no one replied to me but a be quick way to send mail about a ticket would be ideal.
Overall persona goals:
Green main page |Blue general |Black non factors or not in app
Design Process
Since UCONN already has a application for students to use the parking service app can be a add-on to this existing mobile application. This app is pretty useful and personally I only use it for transportation purposes but I know for many this app is already used across campus everyday. I have yet to design a logo for the app be I have drawn up some low fidelity wireframes for the new parking services mobile application.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
Using InVision Studio I was able to prototype the vision I have for the app using the user stories I received from other fellow students. Here there are:
High Fidelity Prototype
For more functionality and screens:
Visit my InVision Project
