ParkNYC
Increasing usability of NYCDOT’s ParkNYC app by streamlining payment process and implementing a new method of searching for their muni-meter.
Role
UX/UI Designer, UX Researcher
Tools
Figma
About
What is ParkNYC?
ParkNYC is an app created by the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) to provide drivers a new way to pay for parking. As stated by the NYCDOT, After initially being launched in 2016, drivers who pay for the meter with their cellphone now account for 42% of all parking meter payments.
Why ParkNYC?
ParkNYC offers many features for drivers such as receiving mobile alerts prior to the timer expiring and tracking the parking activity and sessions. Their allure is the ability to pay for parking using your phone without having to go to a meter.
ParkNYC is not as convenient as can be
Problem Space
ParkNYC's primary task is to facilitate payment for parking, but at times it can lead to a frustrating user experience. For example, drivers may struggle to identify the correct parking meter to pay for using the app. Once they locate their zone ID, the payment process can be inconvenient as users are unable to pay directly. Many ParkNYC users have reported this issue, emphasizing the need for a more streamlined payment procedure.
“...the number that shows up automatically on the phone doesn’t match the number on there. If you don’t pay attention and you pay for it, the next thing you know, you get a ticket. ”
“I don’t like that I can’t pay the meter with Apple Pay. I have to add a balance with my credit card and pay with that. I’d rather just use my Apple Pay to pay directly. Why do I have to load $25 at a time?”
Providing convenience is ParkNYC’s key value preposition.
Zone ID does not match the one on the ParkNYC app
Task 1. Selecting the Zone ID
Users who want to pay for parking must choose the zone ID that matches the muni-meter when they launch the app. The problem is that occasionally, the zone ID on the app does not correspond with the number on the muni-meter.
Design Strategy & Hypotheses
Solution
QR Code Feature
Utilizing the camera allows drivers to scan a QR code on the muni-meter to give them confidence that they are paying for the correct zone ID.
Search Zone ID
Providing the choice for the user to pay for past muni-meters assists users who frequent the same area.
Result
New design introduces a call-to-action button that encases the two methods of searching for the zone ID.
Unnecessary extra step in the payment process
Task 2. Payment Process
During the payment process, users are forced to add a $25 minimum balance to their account to pay for their parking. As this is an unnecessary step in the whole process, it provokes negative feelings that leads to people deleting the app.
Removing the requirement to pay with a balance will help streamline the payment process and increase user experience.
Design Strategy & Hypotheses
Through user interviews, I know that by removing the minimum balance requirement in ParkNYC, the user experience would be greatly enhanced. The current requirement to add a balance to the account makes it difficult for users to quickly pay for parking using convenient methods such as Apple Pay. One user stated that the experience doesn’t feel natural.
With the current task flow, many users are getting frustrated
Reimagining the Task Flow
The proposed task flow eliminates the main source of frustration
Users can now pay for parking without any friction
Result
Enabling users to pay for their parking directly using their preferred payment method has made the process much smoother and more user-friendly. Previously, users were required to add funds to their account before making payments, which felt cumbersome and unintuitive by comparison.
What does success look like?
Impact Measuring
There are different ways to measure success when it comes to service products like ParkNYC.
When it comes to measuring impact for the users, the simplest way is to analyze the user adoption rate. By analyzing user adoption rates, we can find out how many people are actually utilizing the app to pay for parking. A high adoption rate means that the service is meeting the needs of its target audience.
From a business perspective, we can measure the customer retention rate. This allows us to find out whether or not users continue to use ParkNYC over time. A higher retention rate indicates a successful service.
Adding extra steps in a seemingly simple process will frustrate users
Takeaways
Removing the required step of adding a balance to the driver’s account greatly improves the experience of paying for parking. When a step is unforeseen, it surprises the user could greatly take away from the user experience.