Google Maps App Upgrade Ideation
From Navigation to Destination: The Evolution of Google Maps with Parking Assistance
The Problem
When we asked users to describe their parking experiences in one word, the two most common responses are “necessary” and “annoying”
Challenge
Enhance Google Maps to seamlessly incorporate parking features, streamlining the user experience and providing comprehensive parking solutions within the app.
Outcome
During testing with current Google Maps users, a strong demand for this feature was evident. Integrating a "Find Parking" prompt into the app's "navigate to destination" feature streamlined the process of finding, reserving, and paying for parking. Positive feedback highlighted its significant impact, potentially enhancing the daily lives of 118 million users.
“It was user friendly and everything was mentioned. I would love to use this because I have a habit of not coming back to my car in time.”
“This is probably the most useful updates or features Google could be adding to their maps. Hands down this could be really useful. ”
Mia, 32 | Los Angeles
Jose, 47 | Florida
3 Fold Research Process
As we wanted to extensively research as to what does a google maps user need we conducted a three fold research. We uncovered what it was to sit in a car with users and navigate to a place and pay for parking on their daily commutes. We conducted a survey to understand the potential the app could have due to its large user base. And we also did a competitor analysis with other parking apps to understand what methods to do they adopt for easing the parking process.
Research Objective: So how do users find parking currently while driving?
Field Research
Conducted contextual inquiries with five participants, observing their entire journey from departure to arrival, including the process of finding parking at their destination. This involved accompanying them in their vehicles to familiar and unfamiliar locations, documenting their parking methods.
Online Survey
A Qualtrics generative research survey was sent to a total of 20 friends and family. The survey was distributed in two rounds three days apart from each other.
When you arrive at your destination, how do you typically look for parking?
How long on average does it take you to find parking?
Competitor Analysis
Real-Time Availability: SpotHero lacks real-time parking info, leading to uncertainty.
Reservations: SpotHero allows booking parking spots in advance.
User Interface: SpotHero offers an intuitive interface for easy booking.
Session Management: SpotHero lacks features for managing parking sessions.
Parking Availability: Passport prioritizes mobile payments over real-time availability info.
Reservations:
Passport lacks parking spot reservation options, hindering advance bookings.
City Integration: Passport seamlessly integrates with city parking systems for efficient payments.
Session Management: Passport supports parking session management, offering reminders and remote extensions.
Real-Time Info: Waze offers real-time updates on parking availability, aiding quick parking.
Reservations: Reservations: Waze lacks parking spot reservation services, particularly in urban areas.
Payment Integration: Waze does not integrate with parking payment systems, necessitating separate apps for payment.
Advanced Filters: Waze provides basic filtering options for parking, lacking advanced preferences.
RESEARCH IMPLICATIONS
So what user needs are not being met currently?
ARCHITECTURAL STRATEGY
Where will the new solution fit in existing Google Maps Architecture?
Cross-section of the solution
To ease the transition from mid to high fidelity, the relied on Material Design (web guide and the Material Design icons plugin) for color, typography, content components, and sizing. This sped up the mid fidelity-high fidelity UI phase which gave us more time for user testing.
INTEGRATION
Implementing a tooltip in the main menu of Google Maps enhanced user intuition and ease of use. Additionally, combining navigation to parking garages and payment functionality reduces the need for separate apps, simplifying the user experience.
EASY PAYMENTS
By utilizing the well-established infrastructure of Google Pay, users can seamlessly extend their parking sessions directly within Google Maps, enhancing convenience and streamlining the payment process.
RESERVATION MANAGEMENT
Enabling users to extend or cancel reservations remotely provides flexibility without incurring additional convenience fees for each modification.
USER TESTING
We conducted usability testing with 10 participants on usertesting.com with 2 primary tasks
The Result
The two tasks given to the users were reserve and pay for parking in advance and extending a parking reservation
100%
Task Completion Rate
89.2%
Avg. SUS Score
90
NPS Score
Participant Insights on App Experience
“It is very useful for someone like me who lives in LA. Parking here is always a struggle, specially on weekends! I tend to go out on weekends and sometimes I’m like take all my money and give me a parking. So this this is a game changer. ”
“This is probably the most useful updates or features Google could be adding to their maps. Hands down this could be really useful. ”
“That went very quickly, didn’t give me time to register what to do.
“It was user friendly and everything was mentioned. I would love to use this because I have a habit of not coming back to my car in time.”
"It took me sometime to understand all the content as I am used to certain google terminology"
Individualized collaboration with state parking departments and private garages may present logistical challenges.
Implementing QR code hardware in garages could incur significant costs, potentially dissuading
Users found interacting with the "Find Parking" task challenging while driving; exploring enhancements for driver safety is a priority.
While adhering to Google's design guidelines, enhancing accessibility through dedicated testing remains essential for future iterations.
Takeaway
I refined prototyping practices by integrating backward interaction links for alternative paths, enhancing the depth of user testing. This involved implementing techniques such as disabling hotspots to guide users away from "happy path" selections. Additionally, I honed my skills in material design principles, focusing on aspects like color, typography, spacing, and content components. Furthermore, I developed proficiency in utilizing usertesting.com for comprehensive test setups and effective integration of survey questions.