NJIT pArking
App
Group 5
Table of contents
01
02
03
04
About us
Problem and
Proposed Solution
Personas
Personas and problem and activity scenarios
Prototypes
Flowchart, rough draft, paper prototype, figma prototype
Group member
Introductions
Defining the problem and solutions
01
ABOUT US
Group member introductions
Dominick
Bradley
Allie
Felipe
Rohith
CS, Junior.
ECET, Senior.
HCI, Freshman
BIS, Senior.
CS, Junior.
Picture
Picture
02
Problem and
Proposed Solution
Defining the problem and solutions
Problem Statement
With NJIT's student population on a steady rise the challenges associated with parking have become a critical concern affecting both students and faculty members who commute to the campus. Particularly on the busiest days, spanning Monday to Thursday, the scarcity of available parking spaces and the absence of comprehensive parking information have significantly impacted the daily routines of our stakeholders. As a result, many students and faculty find themselves compelled to seek parking on neighboring side roads, regardless of proximity, due to the lack of clear directives. This unintended consequence not only compromises the safety of vehicles and individuals but also leads to an alarming surge in parking violations and associated penalties. The problems of not finding parking cause professors and students of NJIT to be late to important lectures and university events. By addressing these pressing issues, we can create a conducive environment for learning and collaboration, ensuring the well-being and satisfaction of our esteemed NJIT community.
Proposed Solution
NJIT needs a parking app and system that provides real-time information about parking spot availability and allows users to plan their parking arrangements conveniently. The system will include sensors installed in each parking spot to detect occupancy, with corresponding light indicators (red for occupied, green for empty) and a counter for available spots on each floor. This implementation aims to significantly enhance accessibility. Additionally, the lights can indicate reserved spots. All occupancy data will be transmitted to a central database, which will be connected to a screen displaying available spots on each floor using colored dots (red and green), and a mobile app that enables users to view the exact open spots.
The parking app will be designed to be user-friendly, only requires users to login with their UCID. It will provide information about parking decks and spots surrounding the NJIT campus area, allowing faculty and students to plan ahead. The app's simplicity will be emphasized, requiring just one click to access a specified parking deck, and users will immediately see the available and non-available spots. This functionality will empower users to make informed decisions regarding parking their vehicles around campus. With this, Staff and Students will be able to find parking spots which will help minimize walking distance to class. Staff and Students also won’t have to depend on Newark street parking.
Stakeholders
Administration | Responsible for maintenance and supervision of the institution. |
Finance office / bursar | Responsible for managing student billing. |
Employers / Employees for Parking Garage Management | Responsible for maintenance and safety of parking garages. |
Insurance Company | Liability reasons for vehicles using parking garage. |
03
Personas
Personas and problem and activity scenarios
Problem Scenario Prof. Rothsburg
Linda Rothsburg wakes up at 8:30 am during the weekday in order to get ready for her commute to campus to teach her 10:00 am morning lecture. By 9:20 am she is on the road for her 20 minute commute and upon arriving at campus she struggles to find adequate parking close to the building. Linda grows increasingly anxious and frustrated because her recent knee surgery has made it a struggle to walk long distances. She also knows that her students expect her to be there on time and does not want to disappoint them. Linda ends up parking on a side street considerable far from the building which is around a 10 minute walk, but due to her knee could be longer.
Upon arriving to lecture 10 minutes late, she apologizes to students, but can not help feeling frustrated around the situation. To make matter worse, Linda feels as if her lectures are not as effective due to rushing through the material and answering less questions the students have. This adds to her frustrations and stress of failing to be there for her students.
Activity Scenario Prof. Rothsburg
Prof. Rothsburg wakes up at 8:30 am in order to get ready for her commute to campus to teach her 10:00 am morning lecture. As she approaches campus, she opened the parking app on her phone and quickly found a parking spot near her building. The app showed her real-time information about available spots, so she didn't have to drive around looking for an open spot. This saved her time and reduced her stress level, as she knew she would arrive on campus on time for her lectures and meetings. In addition, as she parked her car, she felt relieved that she wouldn't have to walk too far from her car to her building, which minimized the discomfort in her knee.
The app also provided information about the safety and security of the parking lot, which reassured Linda that her car would be safe while she was on campus. She also appreciated the convenience of the app and how it helped her find parking quickly and efficiently. Overall, using the app made Linda's parking experience much easier and less stressful, allowing her to focus on her work and continue mentoring her students.
Problem Scenario Sarah
At 7 in the morning, Sarah gets out of bed still tired from working late the night before and prepares for a full day of lectures. She leaves at 7:30 a.m. and starts the drive to NJIT for her 40-minute commute in morning traffic. Sarah starts to become more anxious as she approaches campus because she needs to determine where she may park. She tries her luck at the new deck, but it is almost filled. After arriving at the parking deck at 8:20, she drove around the whole deck and could not find any parking spots available. She went through every floor of the parking lot. After almost 10 minutes of going around the parking, she finally found a spot at the top deck. After she went downstairs and walked to class, the lecture had started already.
Sarah regrets not leaving home earlier today, allowing herself more time to find suitable parking, but part of her also does not want to get up at 6:30, since she works late in the evening and does not live that far from campus. Still, she told herself that she would leave home at 7 the next day to make it to her 8:30 quiz on time.
Activity Scenario Sarah
At 7 in the morning, Sarah gets out of bed still tired from working late the night before and gets ready for a full day of lectures. She leaves at 7:30 a.m. and starts the drive to NJIT for her 40-minute commute in morning traffic. Sarah consults the new parking application as she approaches campus to determine where she may park. She observes that one of the decks is almost filled but finds a green symbol indicating that there is room available in another deck. The new software monitors the parking decks' available spaces, saving time and enabling quicker parking times. After arriving at the parking deck at 8:10, she checked the screen at the parking deck to confirm that the spot she saw earlier is still available and proceeded to go park. The indicator lights above the spots also makes it easy to find available parking.
Sarah is able to arrive at her first lecture with 5 minutes to spare after parking in the deck, giving her time to set up and get ready. Sarah is content due to the new system saving her time. Before the implementation of the new system, it would've taken her 10-15 minutes to find parking, and she would've been late for class.
Problem Scenario Josiah
Josiah leaves work around 12:00 pm and arrives at the NJIT parking deck to park around 12:30 pm for his one and only class of the day. He first went to the specialty electric car parking section since he has a Tesla. However, there is no electric spots available. He then proceeds to drive around the whole parking deck on every floor, and still fails to find anything available. Josiah was forced to drive around Newark and he ended up finding street parking on Norfolk St. which is a lengthy walk to his class on campus. Not to mention the area is further out from campus, making it less safe in his current location.
He ended up walking for 11 minutes, being late for his classes, and he is now worried about the safety of his car, not to mention missed part of lecture. The added stress and worry about his car is now taking a toll on him mentally and instead of being able to focusing on the one lecture, his mind now wanders to the possibility of his Tesla not being safe.
Activity Scenario Josiah
Josiah checks the app before he left work around 12:10 and saw that there's almost no spots left (red everything at both decks) besides 1 at the electric car parking spaces. He is mentally prepared that there are likely no spots in the decks. Josiah still decided to try his luck and went to check the app when he’s closer to campus at 12:40 for the electric spot. But when he saw that spot was taken, he doesn’t waste time going around the deck and went to find street parking directly.
Even though Josiah still didn’t get to park in the deck, he had more time to drive around Newark and found parking on Warren St instead of Norfolk, which is a lot safer. He saved a significant amount of time looking to park in a safe area and got to class with time to spare.Not to mention Josiah’s attention is now focused on his one lecture for day. If he didn’t have the app, he would’ve wasted a lot of time in the parking decks.
04
Prototypes
Flow chart, rough draft, paper prototype, figma prototype
Flow Chart
Rough Draft
Paper Prototype
Paper prototype user Testing 1
Paper prototype user Testing 2
Paper prototype user Testing 3
Prototype Reflection
We did a total of three tests on our paper prototype; overall, some aspects need improvement to make the user experience flow better. On our first test, it went well. We took a simple approach going down a general case usage for the application. The general case allows the users to find the availability of parking with the decks and purchase parking passes. The steps are as follows; require the user to log in, select a specific parking location and deck, check for available parking, and purchase a parking pass if necessary.
As for our second test, a random classmate used the prototype with the general use case in mind. He grasped the prototype concept, used the inputs, and found his way around. However, he did have questions regarding what he could do, for instance, the clickability of the parking spaces. This showcased a flaw in our design, where the users may need to be made aware of the clickable functions on the prototype. So before our next test, we decided to improve upon that flaw and prompt the user that the spots can be clicked to view availability.
Finally, we had the Professor try the prototype on our last test. The Professor was working his way through the prototype with minimal input aside from the goal of finding available parking and purchasing a parking pass. This was when four flaws came to light regarding the design. One was the prompting of the parking pass, which was ineffective in the case of a user wanting to get a pass for available parking on a deck quickly. A solution would be to prompt the user to purchase a parking pass in the beginning before proceeding to the available parking selection. Another flaw was prompting the user that the spots were clickable. The Professor clicked on the statement instead of the spots, which means we have to find a better way to convey to the user the spots are clickable. Thirdly, on the parking page, there should be a key for the circle (available) and crosses (unavailable). The location of the elevator and stairs should also be indicated. Lastly is the login page and student/faculty parking. Instead of showing student and faculty parking for both students and faculty; instead, the login should determine who the parking is for.
Key path scenario
Login
↓
Purchase parking
↓
Enter payment
↓
Confirm payment
↓
Purchase success, show QR code
↓
Check for available parking
↓
Parking available
Key Path Scenario (Tech Demo)
VIDEO PROTOTYPE
High Fidelity Prototype (Figma)
High Fidelity Prototype (Figma)
REFLECTION
We learned that designing and creating an app was a complex process that required careful planning, execution, and testing. It was essential to identify the audience and understand their needs and requirements, and create the application that meets those needs. In the case of a parking deck app, it is crucial to understand the user's parking habits and the challenges they face in finding parking spots. The app must be designed to simplify the parking process, reduce frustration and save time for the users.
For our team, we learned the importance of effective communication and flexibility within a diverse team. Despite having students from different grades, individuals with jobs, and both commuters and dormers, we successfully organized regular meetings on Discord and utilized screen sharing, which proved to be incredibly efficient. Additionally, we overcame obstacles by delegating tasks to each team member, ensuring that everyone contributed to the overall process.
Throughout the process, we learned the significance of adopting a user-centric design approach and cultivating empathy towards our users. Initially, our ideas were heavily influenced by technology, and we were overly focused on finding solutions rather than considering the needs of the users. However, as the course progressed, we gained valuable insights and understood the importance of prioritizing the user experience. This newfound knowledge guided us in creating an app that truly fulfilled the course's purpose of delivering an exceptional user experience. Looking back, it would be the ideal to approach future projects from the very beginning with a user-centric mindset and strive to be more empathetic towards our target audience.
Thank you!
Please feel free to ask any questions