Wheels: Transforming Parking Accessibility for Bangalore’s Dynamic Environment
01
Research
Gathering data to identify the core problem and understand it’s signifance
Landscape research
02
Define & strategy
Approaching methods to identify the best solutions for users and the product
User research
Journey mapping
Secondary research
Innovation & strategy
03
User experience
Creating interactions that users enjoy and find emotionally engaging
Site map
Rough sketches
Wire-framing
Prototype & test
04
Visual representations
Offering a detailed and realistic portrayal of the final product
Illuminating details
Visual Information
LANDSCAPE RESEARCH
We need parking spaces in Bengaluru to reduce traffic congestion and enhance urban mobility efficiency
In Bengaluru, despite 90 lakh registered vehicles, there's limited parking for only 1,300 cars and 4,000 two-wheelers. While tech parks and residential buildings offer ample parking, local markets and non-society areas like Indiranagar, CV Raman Nagar, AECS, and Marathahalli face severe parking shortages.
Do you think population or city planning is the reason for this distressing condition of traffic? Or is it something else?
Star pattern is the result of rapid-unplanned growth. And the worst part is the main roads are not wide enough to accommodate the traffic coming from various sub-streets.
In Bengaluru, traffic jams arise as office and school buses crowd the streets at the same time, IT professionals rely on cars due to inefficient public transport, and major IT parks are clustered along a single belt. Poor traffic management and lack of road discipline further worsen the situation.
Grid distributes traffic in multiple paths
Star congests traffic in single path
Challenge 01
Imagine we’re gonna build a spot with a space for 10,000 vehicles, where are we gonna build our parking spot?
Suggestion
I believe that no matter where we build, the star pattern of the roads inevitably leads to congested traffic, making it ineffective.
Challenge 02
How much parking space we can accomodate for bikes or cars in our parking spot?
Suggestion
Depending on which area/city we are gonna build parking spot. By analyzing the typical vehicle usage in the area and conducting Interviews to know user preferences could help us
User Research
I conducted one-on-one remote interviews with predefined questions as an interview guide to facilitate the discussions. These remote interviews were carried out with nine different individuals.
What is your place of origin, and where is your current residence within Bangalore?
What are your thoughts and feelings about residing in Bangalore, including where and how you find the experience of living bangalore?
How many vehicles do you own? and which vehicle do you take out often
Have you ever parked your vehicle at any parking spot? Share your experiences
Due shortages of parking spots, how secure do you feel parking your vehicle outside
All
Aimed to skip carrying physical ID Cards for entry/exit access
07/09
Preferred to locate parking spots closest to their home
06/09
Own minimum of two vehicles, they would like to park their car in a safe place rather than a two wheeler
08/09
Due shortages in parking spots, they opted to park their vehicles outside their home
Secondary Research Insights
I collected data from various websites like reddit, quora etc. It’s important to regard online forums because they’re places where people openly express their problems and feelings, often driven by their emotions
People who don’t travel often need parking spaces for short period of times
Most of the apartments doesn’t provide enough parking space, leading to park vehicles outside their home
Individuals don’t feel safe parking on roads, so they might choose other buildings to park vehicles
Selected market
Our audience includes both Gen Z and Gen Y: students, families, and professional workers. Based on research, I have categorized our audience into three groups.
01
Those Individuals who are looking out for secure parking spots
02
People looking for parking in closest proximity to their location which offers convenience
03
Individuals looking for affordable hourly/monthly parking spaces
User Personas
I focused on two Gen Z personas who have been residents of Bangalore for four years and own more than two vehicles. One frequently needs a temporary parking spot, while the other requires a permanent one.
Life style / Necessity
Saving money and time in every aspect
Often consults friends for suggestions on new things
Pain points
Waiting in long queues to park vehicle
Parking spots which are not secure enough due increase in theft cases
Needs/desires
Require a full online parking system, avoiding the need of offline payments
Spots with valet parking should be considered
Competitors analysis
Following a thorough examination of both primary and secondary research, I have identified crucial deficiencies in the current market offerings that remain unaddressed
Enabling users to reserve a parking spot with the shortest possible time frame.
Establishing a parking system that instills a sense of security among users.
Utilizing the app to locate parking spaces that align with the user's budget.
Product feature list
Developed to address a wide range of user preferences and to provide added convenience from user research
Feature 01
Vehicle Relocation ( users can move their vehicle to a different address or destination )
Feature 02
Swap vehicle ( users can swap their other vehicle under same subscription with some conditions )
Feature 03
Customization by preferences ( users can prolong their subscription or terminate )
Feature 04
Wallet and online payment capability ( Users perceive online payment as a hassle-free and convenient method )
My idea is that users often move around for various reasons. Instead of booking a new spot at a nearby location, they should be able to relocate to our spot under the same subscription or a new one.
Insights from user interviews reveal that most users own more than two vehicles. The swap feature allows users to switch vehicles at any time without needing a new subscription.
Users can extend their subscription through online payment, offering increased convenience.
Expediting user payments by enabling them to preload funds into their wallet, ensuring swift transactions without the potential hindrance of bank or server issues, available for use whenever required
Innovation & design strategy
Challenge 01
Imagine: Hundreds of vehicles converging on a single parking area in the time range of 6pm to 9pm while traffic is already congested. How could we ensure seamless parking, without disrupting current traffic? and by eliminating the need for physical slips for entry and exit
Challenge 02
When it comes to features such as vehicle swapping, relocation and extend subscription, I aimed to introduce a solution that could be executed within a single app, eliminating the need for users to physically visit or book offline parking spots.
Challenge 01 solution
Bar Code Parking System
Access to parking facilities is significantly more time-efficient than traditional systems.
Digital barcode be created using users mobile and vehicle number.
Challenge 02 solution
For Instance: User has booked a 4wheeler and wants to swap it with two wheeler for few days under same subscription and spot
Swap vehicle
‘ X ‘ Digit Barcode for the two wheeler will be ready to scan, Created from previous barcode and vehicle number to enhance security
Enter two wheeler vehicle number
KA-05-7888
Successfully swapped
01
02
A scenario of strategic resolutions aimed at enhancing user retention & security
Scenario: What if an individual forgets their phone or it gets switched off while en route? (Entry without a barcode)
Solution 01: Implement a designated number of emergency parking slots (as shown in the image). However, individuals must still utilize the barcode on their mobile next day to retrieve their vehicles.
User Experience
0.1 User flows
Depending on the personas, I tried to keep user flows informative and as simple as possible
A. User hasn’t booked a vehicle
B. User tends to relocate vehicle
C. User wants to renew subscription
0.2 Information Architecture
Based on the user flows
How users decide a parking spot to book?
This made me thought of creating a journey map. Picking a situation where user is in a hurry and trying to book a spot and see what the user needs to scan the information he need on the app, leading to faster decision making
Personal reflections
Once users find a convenient parking spot, they tend to stick to it permanently without feeling the need to check other spots
Many questions can arise related to parking spot (Q&A section would help users nudge towards booking)
Even if users are satisfied with the price, features, and locality, a spot not being nearby can still be a drawback
Rough Sketches
Engaging in sketching enabled me to break conventional boundaries and it helped in determining how each interface should be presented
Wireframes
04 DESIGN DECISIONS
Illuminating details
Usability testing
Observing users’ behaviors, pain points, confusions, and areas of improvement. Understand how users perceive and interact with the product
Tasks
Secure a vehicle within the nearby area ( 5-7min )
Attempt relocating and swapping vehicle ( 4-6min )
Extend subscription using the existing booking(<1min)
Iteration 01
Flow 01: During the task flow 01 process, users are in the phase of determining the number of hours they require for booking, I observed that Individuals struggle with computational tasks
Iteration 01: An "Add X Amount" button was included because users required visibility into the costs they would pay when sliding booking hours
Original
Iterated
Iteration 02
Flow 02: Users have expressed confusion about the "swap" feature, and some may also be unsure about "relocate" feature. Therefore, I've decided to provide information to users about both of these features.
Iteration 02: Adding an icon next to the text. click on it, a pop-up will appear which gives users an idea of what action users are about to take.
A Strategy from Iteration 01
Point 01: I’m confident that users won’t be certain about selecting the exact number of hours for their booking while they’re on the move or while determining the duration they plan to spend at their friends’ places, restaurants, pubs, malls or elsewhere
Example: If the user chooses 3-7 hours range, we charge for 7 hours
As a result: Instead of instructing users to book specific hours, we can suggest selecting a range. This approach enhances booking flexibility , improves customer experience and do you think every user leaves the place on exact hours?
A strategy using the ‘ swap vehicle’ feature
Providing users with the ability to swap vehicles at no cost for two occasions ( Increased convenience and dependency ), followed by the implementation of supplementary charges thereafter.
Thank you! Please get in touch for more info about this project
Visual representations
Visual Information
Colors
Black as Primary Color: Users rely on us for vehicle safety and convenience, making it essential to convey professionalism and reliability. Black supports this by maintaining a clean and minimalistic design, reducing visual clutter, and making the app more intuitive and user-friendly, ultimately enhancing the overall user experience.
Typography
Poppins font: Rounded typography generally conveys a softer and more approachable aesthetic compared to sharp-edged fonts. While sharp-edged fonts may not be ideal for a parking app, incorporating rounded typography can enhance the overall visual harmony of the design.
SF UI font (payments): Text for interfaces related to payments, the choice was made due to its enhanced visibility, providing a clearer and cleaner appearance.
Tools
Figma
Lessons learned
“ Encourage users to act more and think less “ by avoiding overwhelming them with too much information on a single screen. Instead, I considered splitting screens into multiple interfaces, as this approach can be more user-friendly and enhance usability, ultimately reducing the user's effort while navigating the system.
Designing for a wide user base has been instrumental in my ability to tackle complex problems more effectively. An example of this is implementing a digital barcode system.
Initially, when reviewing the problem statement, I thought the app should only provide permanent parking spots. However, taking a broader landscape or holistic approach, I realized that people often travel within cities and encounter difficulties in finding parking spaces. This prompted me to consider the importance of incorporating hour-based subscription options.
Wheels: Transforming Parking Accessibility for Bangalore’s Dynamic Environment
LANDSCAPE RESEARCH
We need parking spaces in Bengaluru to reduce traffic congestion and enhance urban mobility efficiency
In Bengaluru, despite 90 lakh registered vehicles, there's limited parking for only 1,300 cars and 4,000 two-wheelers. While tech parks and residential buildings offer ample parking, local markets and non-society areas like Indiranagar, CV Raman Nagar, AECS, and Marathahalli face severe parking shortages.
Do you think population or city planning is the reason for this distressing condition of traffic? Or is it something else?
Star pattern is the result of rapid-unplanned growth. And the worst part is the main roads are not wide enough to accommodate the traffic coming from various sub-streets.
In Bengaluru, traffic jams arise as office and school buses crowd the streets at the same time, IT professionals rely on cars due to inefficient public transport, and major IT parks are clustered along a single belt. Poor traffic management and lack of road discipline further worsen the situation.
Grid distributes traffic in multiple paths
Star congests traffic in single path
USER RESEARCH
I conducted one-on-one remote interviews with predefined questions as an interview guide to facilitate the discussions. These remote interviews were carried out with nine different individuals.
What is your place of origin, and where is your current residence within Bangalore?
What are your thoughts and feelings about residing in Bangalore, including where and how you find the experience of living there?
How many vehicles do you own? and which vehicle do you take out often
Have you ever parked your vehicle at any parking spot? Share your experiences
Due shortages of parking spots, how secure do you feel parking your vehicle outside
All
Aimed to skip carrying physical ID Cards for entry/exit access
07/09
Preferred to locate parking spots closest to their home
06/09
Due shortages in parking spots, they opted to park their vehicles outside their home
08/09
Own minimum of two vehicles, they would like to park their car in a safe place rather than a two wheeler
Secondary Research Insights
I collected data from various websites like reddit, quora etc. It’s important to regard online forums because they’re places where people openly express their problems and feelings, often driven by their emotions
Most of the apartments doesn’t provide enough parking space, leading to park vehicles outside their home
People who don’t travel often need parking spaces for short period of times
Individuals don’t feel safe parking on roads, so they might choose other buildings to park vehicles
Selected market
Our audience can be both Gen Z & Gen Y. Students, family, professional workers. According to research I burned down our audience into three categories
01: Those Individuals who are looking out for secure parking spots
02: People looking for parking in closest proximity to their location which offers convenience
03: Individuals looking for affordable hourly/monthly parking spaces
Selected market
I focused on two Gen Z personas who have been residents of Bangalore for four years and own more than two vehicles. One frequently needs a temporary parking spot, while the other requires a permanent one.
Rough Sketches
Engaging in sketching enabled me to break conventional boundaries and it helped in determining how each interface should be presented
Wireframes
Wheels: Transforming Parking Accessibility for Bangalore’s Dynamic Environment
LANDSCAPE RESEARCH
We need parking spaces in Bengaluru to reduce traffic congestion and enhance urban mobility efficiency
In Bengaluru, despite 90 lakh registered vehicles, there's limited parking for only 1,300 cars and 4,000 two-wheelers. While tech parks and residential buildings offer ample parking, local markets and non-society areas like Indiranagar, CV Raman Nagar, AECS, and Marathahalli face severe parking shortages.
Do you think population or city planning is the reason for this distressing condition of traffic? Or is it something else?
Star pattern is the result of rapid-unplanned growth. And the worst part is the main roads are not wide enough to accommodate the traffic coming from various sub-streets.
In Bengaluru, traffic jams arise as office and school buses crowd the streets at the same time, IT professionals rely on cars due to inefficient public transport, and major IT parks are clustered along a single belt. Poor traffic management and lack of road discipline further worsen the situation.
Grid distributes traffic in multiple paths
Star congests traffic in single path
Challenge 01
Imagine we’re gonna build a spot with a space for 10,000 vehicles, where are we gonna build our parking spot, so that it doesn’t effect current traffic
Suggestion
I believe that no matter where we build, the star pattern of the roads inevitably leads to congested traffic, making it ineffective.
Challenge 02
How much parking space we can accomodate for bikes or cars in our parking spot
Suggestion
Depending on which area/city we are gonna build parking spot. By analyzing the typical vehicle usage in the area and conducting Interviews to know user preferences could help us
USER RESEARCH
I conducted one-on-one remote interviews with predefined questions as an interview guide to facilitate the discussions. These remote interviews were carried out with nine different individuals.
What is your place of origin, and where is your current residence within Bangalore?
What are your thoughts and feelings about residing in Bangalore, including where and how you find the experience of living there?
How many vehicles do you own? and which vehicle do you take out often
Have you ever parked your vehicle at any parking spot? Share your experiences
Due shortages of parking spots, how secure do you feel parking your vehicle outside
Secondary Research Insights
I collected data from various websites like reddit, quora etc. It’s important to regard online forums because they’re places where people openly express their problems and feelings, often driven by their emotions
People who don’t travel often need parking spaces for short period of times
Most of the apartments doesn’t provide enough parking space, leading to park vehicles outside their home
Individuals don’t feel safe parking on roads, so they might choose other buildings to park vehicles
Selected market
Our audience can be both Gen Z & Gen Y. Students, family, professional workers. According to research I burned down our audience into three categories
01: Those Individuals who are looking out for secure parking spots
02: People looking for parking in closest proximity to their location which offers convenience
03: Individuals looking for affordable hourly/monthly parking spaces
Personas
I focused on two Gen Z personas who have been residents of Bangalore for four years and own more than two vehicles. One frequently needs a temporary parking spot, while the other requires a permanent one.
Life style / Necessity
Saving money and time in every aspect
Often consults friends for suggestions on new things
Pain points
Waiting in long queues to park vehicle
Parking spots which are not secure enough due increase in theft cases
Needs/desires
Require a full online parking system, avoiding the need of offline payments
Spots with valet parking should be considered
Challenge 01 solution
Bar Code Parking System
Access to parking facilities is significantly more time-efficient than traditional systems.
Digital barcode be created using users mobile and vehicle number.
Challenge 02 solution
For Instance: User has booked a 4wheeler and wants to swap it with two wheeler for few days under same subscription and spot
Rough Sketches
Engaging in sketching enabled me to break conventional boundaries and it helped in determining how each interface should be presented
Wireframes
Design Decisions
Illuminating details
Get in touch with me at
vsundar0705@gmail.com
Home
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Design Decisions
Illuminating details
Get in touch with me at
vsundar0705@gmail.com
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Thank you! Please get in touch for more info about this project