Andronik K Mamayan
UX | UI Researcher. Designer. Empathetic Listener.
Parking Buddy
A case study on a totally new app designed to help the Good Samaritan in all of us be there for your fellow driver and...Be a Buddy!
BACKGROUND
Launching into the world of mobile app development.
Our job was to research, prototype, test, and validate an idea for a brand new mobile application. This app had to solve a real, clearly identified need in users’ everyday lives.
TEAM MEMBERS
myself
Andrew W.
Noah D.
DURATION
3-Week Agile Sprint
TOOLS
Adobe XD, Google Docs, Miro, Trello
The Challenge
The aim of this project is one thing: to support those who are able to lend a helping hand and to connect them to those who need it.
Most new drivers are not prepared for handling a car-related issue. Either they lack the experience, the money, or more often, the time. Incredibly, few of us drivers are willing to ask for assistance when we need it most, likely out of fear (or pride) and allow that problem to percolate until it requires our immediate attention (when it's too late).
A Solution
This Agile sprint led us down the path of creating a wholly new way of connecting with our community, the end result being an intuitive and easy to use app anyone can use.
We knew that the only way to crowdsource good samaritans right from our community is for people to share the benefits of this app.
Our team addresses how we would achieve such critical mass and also how the application itself functions.
Let's take a ride!
RESEARCH PLAN
We sought out newer and novice drivers (less than 5 years of driving experience) and asked the same 5 questions:
We sought out newer and novice drivers (less than 5 years of driving experience) and asked the same 5 questions: How do you feel about helping people? 2. Have you ever helped someone with their car? 3. Are you comfortable helping a complete stranger? 4. Have you ever left your keys in your car? 5. Why would you download an app?
The answers were fairly on par with what we expected--that many of us are willing to help, especially if we are able to. Read them here.
Next, we surveyed 5 individuals (ages 21-34, both men and women) to further understand motivations around aid and mobile application usage.
AFFINITY DIAGRAM
Based on user research, there is a strong need for a safer alternative to waving down a complete stranger.
During our user interviews we discovered that car owners who don’t have the financial means or the understanding end up putting off or ignoring issues. Ultimately, these issues will end up costing them more and likely show up at less than convenient times. The most common frustration for car owners when they have car trouble is asking for help from a stranger in a time of need, especially at night. Additionally, nearby observers who are capable of helping the car owner with their vehicle’s trouble are apprehensive about giving such help. Therefore, we believe that creating an app that links car owners who need help to their own community is what is missing in the market today.
How might we create an app that connects car owners to a community willing and is able to support those with limited financial resources and/or little to no car repair experience? The result is that car owners get reliable help from a nearby community whenever they need it, safely, privately and for no cost.
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
Taking a look at what is already out there, we looked to see what made those apps unique with the aim of building upon their successes.
Our research of mobile apps Honk and AAA gave us a strong sense that these would be our direct competitors. Both are roadside assistance companies with apps that are user-friendly, familiar to many of us, and get to the point right away.
An indirect competitor we looked at was Waze. By now you've probably heard of it as the superior driving navigator. But we wanted to give it a heuristic analysis to glean what we could on why it's so popular.
USER PERSONA
Our team settled on two user personas: the one providing assistance and the recipient of such goodwill.
The images of Cassandra and Marcus might remind you of someone you know, maybe it's yourself or how you imagine yourself. The ecosystem of supportive samaritans and those in need starts with you and builds up from there. As more and more people join, the impact becomes greater.
STORYBOARD
An exercise in story-telling allows our team to align our efforts to a specific goal. Where in the beginning we had overlapping and different ideas, now we can come together.
Imagine a scenario: Cassandra has left her older model car in such a rush that she forgets to turn her off the headlights. This mistake could easily have cost her a new battery if it were not for a passerby who spotted the error and notified her through the app.
All good things start with a free sign-up. Next, the app had to give users the ability to a) sign up to be a buddy, b) perform a search of buddies nearby, c) request help and d) view/send notifications anonymously.
In the final iteration of the user flow, we decided to remove the search function to find nearby buddies as it doesn't promote the message we want to send--users don't get to decide who will help them. The app matches you to the person closest to you at that moment.
USER FLOW
The steps a user would take to complete the task of a) hailing someone for help and b) sending a tip went through several renditions.
PAPER PROTOTYPE
The rough sketches that would later become the basis for our final product were drawn by hand by me. Shown below.
USABILITY TESTING
This phase was vital for us to move forward. We asked ourselves, does our design make sense?
We were able to deduce from user testing what users found easy to accomplish and what was confusing. The tasks were: 1. Sign up as a new user, 2. Request help from a buddy, and 3. Notify another driver of a problem with their car (be a buddy).
Responses were organized on the below matrix with color-coded stickies meant to illustrate frequency of each suggestion.
HI-FIDELITY PROTOTYPE
Bringing to life the Parking Buddy app was more an adventure than a challenge. We created something we believed can make our world a better place.
Test drivers wanted. Click here to explore the app yourself!
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FINAL THOUGHTS
The development of this app was near and dear to my heart as it was first dreamed of years ago before I had any ability or skills in designing mobile applications. The joy in piloting my skills towards the realization of a 'pipe dream' made it especially enjoyable. My team was behind me all along in the development and felt that the impact this sort of app would have on our community would be lasting and overwhelmingly positive.
The trick to our success would be in a simple user interface, no catch in getting onboarded, and a reward system that teaches the user that continued utility of the app leads to community points and an elevated status within the app's social system. These are parts we would need to work on if given enough time.