Use Case 1

Finding a parking location in Toronto

Use Case 2

Making a parking payment through the app

Use Case 3

Creating a new account on the app

Use Case 4

Extending current parking session

Use Case 5

Providing alternative parking options

Usability Testing

Results & Recommendations

In regards to all five use cases, the user was generally able to understand and successfully accomplish all the tasks that were described to them. Overall, I found that the user sometimes needed clarification from me to perform these tasks. For instance, in the first use case the user was not fully sure if the “x” button in the corner of the screens meant to proceed or to cancel the action. Another occurrence was when the user failed to identify “Parking Preferences” as a filtration tool when trying to narrow their search results. This tells me that certain parts of my interface, information structure and choice of wording are not very clear or easy to understand for the average user. 

When looking at Use Case 1, although the user was successful in completing the task, there appeared to be a disconnect between the features or functions that the user expected to see and what was actually available to them. For instance, on the main screen, the user explained that they thought there would be an option for them to enter their current location to visualize how long it would take for them to reach their parking location however, they were only provided with the option to enter their destination. From this I can understand that the structure of my app will require further development if it is to achieve flexibility and intuitive.

In Use Case 2, the user pointed out how certain commands and options could be re-arranged to better assist themselves in completing their tasks. This includes the suggestion of having the “Pay for Parking” feature directly on the “Get Directions” screen so that the user does not have to waste time navigating to different parts of the app just to select it. While completing the tasks in Use Case 3, the user pointed out a key detail that I would have not initially considered when designing the app which is the idea of building trust between the user and system, especially when it comes to storing highly sensitive data such as credit card information. The account registration form I designed for this app immediately asks for the user’s vehicle and credit card information, which may come across as intimidating or “risky” to users, thus inhibiting the system-user relationship.  Use Case 4 also demonstrated how the user may find certain features of this app confusing or misleading. For instance, upon completing the task of extending the parking session, the user noticed that they did not receive any sort of pop-up notification to confirm the transaction. The user suggested that this could be an essential element to the payment process of this app as it would assure the user that their information has gone through and has been processed correctly in the end. Ultimately, this contributes to the overall quality of the user experience. When looking at Use Case 5, I found that it was quite easy for the user to navigate through as it essentially followed almost the same structure as the previous use cases.

In terms of improvements for future iterations of this app, I would make a number of changes according to what was suggested during the user testing session. This includes adding a scale for the distance between the destination and parking locations so that users can have an accurate visual point of reference on the map; a new format for the account creation process that draws less emphasis to the submission of sensitive information (e.g. credit card information); and a complete revision of the word choice for key commands such as Parking Preferences.