1. Problem definition/Problem statement (repeat here the problem you defined in the prior weeks including for whom, i.e. the description of your user)

The problem I defined was the difficulty looking for parking was in metropolitan and urban areas for people who owned cars or drove a car often. The parking process brings feelings upon people with vehicles such as frustration and stress affecting the quality of life. People who own cars in places like New York City and it’s five boroughs often experience this because of the dense population of cars all over the city.

2. Why is the problem important:

This problem is important because it not only affects the quality of life of a car driver, but it brings upon mental health issues such as anxiety. It also affects quality of life by only having the alternative to looking for parking yourself or paying insane prices to leave it in a parking lot near one’s final destination.

3. Alternative ideas & Feedback
a. Briefly describe here the 5 or more ideas (you can use the brief description that you used last week – and even include your drawing if you like)

After brainstorming and thinking hard, I was only able to come up with four ideas. The first one included a sensor that is placed between each parking spot around the city, for example, that would be measured and marked so people know where they can park. The sensor would be connected to an app that allows drivers to see what parking spots are available and where. The second idea was a sensor but placed on the vehicle that would allow drivers to see only what spots are taken or free without seeing any of the person’s data except parking availability. The third idea was a small shuttle bus service that would have pickup and drop-off spots all over the city allowing drivers to park a little further out from their destination in areas with more parking space but still being left very near or at their final destination. The fourth idea was an uber-like service but for parking. Somebody, who is registered and cleared to drive, would pick your car up from your destination and go through the parking process and park it while you can track it to see where the person is as well as where your car was parked.

b. What was – in a nutshell – the feedback for each of those ideas? What did you learn? (ca. 5-6 sentences)

The feedback for all ideas in general were refreshing and eye-opening in a small way but each idea brought upon their own comments that seemed to add on to the idea to make it more attractive to the customer. Feedback for the first idea made more aware of what had to be done beforehand to make it a reality which was figuring out how I would get the parking spots marked if it was outside on the street where departments from the state would most likely have to get involved. The second idea came with better feedback about how the app would look like and the device sensor that would be put onto the vehicle. The smaller details about the sensor were mentioned and points were raised such as the battery power and effectiveness of the device would be. The third idea raised some points like what the schedule of the shuttle would be like and how dependable it would be. The comments also made me think of how the pickup and drop-off locations would be chosen. The fourth idea brought upon some interesting comments like how easy it would be to have someone else park your car but someone you can trust do so. This made think about how the parking employees would be selected and how trustworthy this service was.

4. Taken together: what did you learn overall? What is the common denominator across your users’ feedback and comments? Do you see a pattern? Did they give you ideas what to improve – and how? [Note: you can learn a lot from failure – so consider this an important learning for next steps!] (ca. 5 sentences)

The common denominator was emotional and financial worry. My users’ feedback and comments spotlighted a focus on not stressing about parking or being late to work because of parking, for example, along with not wanting to add another expense like parking lots to their expense list. The pattern I saw was the need for simplicity and affordability. Their feedback has made me think about how I can make the parking process in busy areas as simple and economic as possible because they want to use their vehicles but not as often as they want to because of the intensity parking has in densely populated areas.

5. Describe here the new solution (ca. 4-5 sentences and feel free to draw it!):

The new solution would be something that meets the needs of the customer financially and mentally. A product or service that would make the parking process less of a hassle, more convenient, and affordable is what customers want and need. I am contemplating between all ideas and seeing what I can pick from each, if possible, and create a better solution that is more attractive to consumers. It’s difficult to try and combine a little from each idea because they each approach to the solution differently but each target a slightly different audience depending on the customer’s needs. I am still in the process of taking in this feedback and developing a better solution.