To enhance free parking experiences in busy cities, this project redesigned Google Maps with additional functions for finding available parking spots on streets, saving users time, convenience, and overall parking experiences without incurring any costs.
Background
Most people have experienced bad parking experiences from not able to park and locate a free and available parking spot on street, and possibly being given fine tickets and getting cars towed. Complex street rules and crookedness hinders people’s mood, experiences and being on time with their schedules.
Challenge
In order to collect reliable parking data and feedback to benefit users’ daily parking issues, it is challenging to create a system that can motivate users to review and give real-time updates, especially for free street parking. Besides, some previous Google Maps functions are quite unclear to users, so it is important to redesign and update the UX.
User Problems
Urban drivers frequently face parking challenges that can ruin their mood, disrupt their schedules, and cost money. Despite these widespread issues, no effective solution exists. Based on my driving experiences, I'm designing a Google Maps feature to address these problems.
common street parking frustrations
Current Solutions
To understand the existing parking apps’ pros and cons, I studied two popular apps for paid and free parking solutions.
User Journey Map
To better understand the pain points of users, I did observations of three NYC drivers who have three different motivations, and recorded their parking experiences while trying to find a parking spot on the streets.
Affinity Map
Based on different people’s experiences, I identified pain points from users, and I arranged and categorized their needs into the charts below.
Design Goals
After studying the above user needs and their priorities, I decided to add a new parking feature on Google Maps with five main features (GIS information, availability, update, multimodal parking,and reminder) and related sub-features to help users find parking spots and enhance their overall parking experiences.
UI Kit
Updated Google Maps UI design system featuring Roboto typography, refined color palette, new parking-focused icons, and enhanced information cards for improved user experience.
Information Architecture
Information architecture for Google Maps parking feature showing main navigation tabs, user flow from parking features to detailed spot management, and real-time availability tracking.
Low-fidelity Wireframe
Low-fidelity wireframes showing three key user task flows: finding free parking spots, accessing GIS parking maps with availability data, and saving parking locations to custom lists.
Final Design
Below are the final prototype of new parking features.
Reflection
This project highlighted the challenges of user data collection and privacy concerns. It made me reconsider which Google functions users need versus those that go unused. I questioned the design intentions behind certain features and how designers could create smoother experiences with less user input and more meaningful benefits.
When redesigning the Google Maps UI, I focused on modern aesthetics and clearer input instructions. As a user myself, I was able to address my frustrations with the app and add features I wished Google Maps had, creating a more intuitive experience.
