Parking in Ann Arbor
A user research case study
Context
Research Question: How can parking be more feasible and acessible in Ann Arbor, Michigan?
Duration: August 2023 - December 2023
Class: SI 400-
Tools: Figma, Figjam, user surveying
As a driver in Michigan, I have experienced parking struggles my whole life. When I go to downtown areas like Royal Oak and Ann Arbor I have a very large fear of how to park, where to park, and how to pay. I wondered how can I make this experience easier for drivers like myself and drivers who are used to the busy nature of a downtown area. At the current moment in Ann Arbor you can park at a meter, neighborhood, parking garages, or a specified lot. There are different methods to pay and acess each of these locations which is what lead me to my research question: How can we make parking easier in Ann Arbor, Michigan?
01
Methods
For this project I went with 2 methods to complete within the timeframe:
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one on one generative interview
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field visit
The field visit consisted of the participant driving from destination A to destination B and then parking at destination B. The field visit was the most natural way I could observe the participants interacting with the parking methods in Ann Arbor, see their decision making process, and their points of frustration. I was silent observing their behaviors and emotions taking notes and asking question about their experience after. This would take up about 15 minutes of the 60 minute interview. Following the field visit I conducted an interview to gain more information from the participants about their behaviors, thoughts, and history with parking.
02
Recruitment and Participants
My initial goal was to interview participants of ages 18-65 with differing driving experience levels in Ann Arbor. Also requiring proof of valid license, registration, and insurance. However I found it to be difficult to find people who were not in my cohort who were comfortable doing this study because of safety reasons. I didn't feel comfortable sharing a car with someone I did not know, and neither did they. Therefore, the participants were people from my cohort that I knew.
A limitation to note here is that all these participants were 20-30 years of age and students attending the University of Michigan. Overall, I interviewed 5 participants.
To prepare for these methods I created a consent form, as well as an interview guide for both the field visit and the following interview. A preview of these documents can be seen below.
03
Analysis
After transcribing the interviews, I coded the data thematically followed by an affinity diagram some of code included:
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I want to know what spots are available when I am parking.
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I prioritize free parking.
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I feel lucky when I find a spot close to my destination.
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Experience driving in Ann Arbor makes it easier for me to park and drive.
The fully analyzed affinity diagram can be seen below.
Research Summary
My research question was "How can we make parking more feasible and accessible in Ann Arbor, Michigan?" From my interviews, I found that the main problem was the availability of parking spots in Ann Arbor. Every participant expressed the lack of spots, and that they had no idea where available spots were. Their frustration lied in the fact that they had to spend almost the same time it took to get there to find a parking spot. Along with this, all participants expressed that they did not want to pay for parking, and valued their money. They were frustrated in paying for tuition, housing and then having to pay for parking to go to class or go to locations. While this was a problem the biggest problem was finding a spot. A couple participants expressed they felt stressed about parking and didn't know when and where to park.
This leads me to my next observation, that how and where people chose to park is dependent on their experience. In my interviews I found that those with more experience were a bit more relaxed, and went straight to finding neighborhoods to park their car in for free. These participants were always aware of where and when parking was free, and used this information to their advantage. They expressed frustration but not fear or anxiety towards driving and parking. While those with less experience expressed more concern and frantic behavior. Their main goal was to find a spot and finish parking over the price of it, even though the price mattered as well.
04
Deliverables
From these findings I decided to create two deliverables to express the main pain points of parking in Ann Arbor, Michigan:
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personas,
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storyboard.
The personas are of two people, an experienced driver (Marley Lewis) in Ann Arbor, and an inexperienced driver (Davey Smith). I think these personas are different because they are motivations and driving factors are different. They have different levels of knowledge and comfort level with driving reflected in the persona chart.
A storyboard accurately represents the frustration that all 5 participants felt towards finding a parking spot. The time it takes, the location, the driving, and the ultimate disappointment. A storyboard shows the range of emotions and behaviors a person goes through when trying to find parking in Ann Arbor therefore accurately portrays the frustration from the lack of available spots, and free spots, I concluded from my interviews as well.
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05
Reflections
Overall, I am pleased with how this user research study went. I have realized that this process is much more iterative than I had imagined. From changing interview question and layout from pilot interviews, to reviewing and editing deliverables based on further analysis. Going into this my expectation was that the users would automatically have commonalities, however this was not the case. I found that each user had a different experience and therefore had something new to share. Lastly, while I did use methods to avoid bais in my research, I find that it is really difficult especially about a topic that has a common feeling towards it in a population. For example, students in Ann Arbor hate parking, and this is widely recognized. This bias was hard to avoid when doing research and interviews.