IU Parking

Testers

I believe these individuals are target users as they are all either students or staff of Indiana University.

Because of the current situation with COVID-19, it wasn't easy to find people to test with in person. As such, I had to be a bit more open-ended when looking for testers. Participant 1 is an IUPUI student. Participant 2 is a student at IU Bloomington but has been to the IUPUI campus on a few occasions. Participant 3 is a staff member at IU Bloomington but has been to IUPUI for work on many occasions.

Although the testers differ slightly from the exact target audience, they can still be considered target users with their knowledge and being commuters. All participants also have many hours of experience using map applications.

First Test Findings

Overall, the prototype of the parking application worked well. There were a few issues that participants ran into during the test sessions, but they could complete the task with confidence and satisfaction.

The participants said that the task of finding an available parking space was straightforward. However, it appeared that there might be a short learning curve to the application. There was some confusion with how the features are organized. Besides that, participants thought that the application was generally simple, not overly complicated, and provided almost all the information they would like to see when performing the given task.

Out of all the usability issues found, I do not consider any of them detrimental to the application's functioning. There are many frustrations and misunderstandings, but nothing overly critical.

The most significant issue discovered is that users try to tap on an available parking spot, nothing happens. However, they want to see more information about the desired location. This became quite frustrating for two of the users. It even led to a slightly higher degree of anger until they conceded in frustration for one participant. I rated the issue a 3 (serious issue).

The second-largest issue discovered is that users were somewhat confused by the map and garage/lot diagrams' orientation. This became a considerable frustration for one user and confusion for the other two. Two of the participants assumed that it was oriented so that the top of the map was facing north. Still, they did not feel confident in that conclusion. Participant 2 expressed a higher frustration level without cardinal directions or nearby building names. Although they are not as familiar with IUPUI’s campus as an IUPUI student or employee would, I believe this still could become an issue for them. Particularly new students and employees and individuals who struggle with directional awareness. I rated the issue a 3 (serious issue).

The third issue is that users attempted to see details about a location when tapping on it on the map. I listed this as a lightly less critical issue since it appeared more annoying than frustration or a detrimental problem. I rated the issue a 2 (medium issue).

The fourth issue is not as severe as the others since it was merely confusion. Users were unsure about the difference between the home screen and the map screen. Participants did not seem to express frustration or annoyance at this. They were confused and did not understand the difference, bouncing between the two screens to see how it differs. Only one participant saw the design's intention, but it took a little time to realize. I rated the issue a 2 (medium issue).

The last issue found is that users found the colors on the map slightly confusing. They did not understand the meanings of the colors overlaying the locations. I decided to declare this as a medium-level issue because I can see it becoming a frustrating and even dangerous problem for users. Users need to be able to process the information on the map quickly.

Even though using a phone while driving is unsafe and not recommended, people will continue to do so regardless. Thus, it is crucial to minimize the amount of time a user needs to look at the screen as much as possible.

Revisions

Home Screen:

The map has been expanded, and the map screen has been removed. The functionality has been merged with the home screen to eliminate confusion between the two screens and require less user navigation. Because of that, it now contains the functionality of the previous map.

The map now has a search bar, direction indication, zoom in and out buttons, "go to my location" button. The list of locations has been edited as well to accommodate the map. The section can be dragged down to increase the size of the map.

Other changes: updated time now bold to increase visibility, distance to location text enlarged to increase visibility, and garage abbreviation removed as it confused the student participants.

The map should be simplified to make it easier for users to process. Names of locations should remain, and the indications over lots/garages should be one color. The university should complete this.

Favorites / All Parking:

Card/List view buttons increased in size to make it easier to tap.

Location Diagrams:

Direction indicator and zoom buttons added.

Now when selecting any spot, a details popup appears.

University should provide correct blueprints of garages/lots that can be turned into an interactive map/image.

Location Diagrams:

Popup created. It appears on the screen when selecting a spot in a parking location. Lists spot number, availability, permit type, and if it is or is not a reserved parking spot. Popup can be minimized by tapping the "x" or anywhere on the screen.