Honda Motor Co. Internship

Timeline

August 2022, 2 weeks

PROBLEM

My Role

Solo intern project

Commuting college students encounter a stressful start to their day due to traffic

83 percent of college students nationwide who do not live in institution-owned housing are generally termed "commuters". National studies have shown that commuter students are less satisfied with the college experience overall. According to a recent San Jose State University alumni:

“Most universities fail to solve the growing parking issue for students, visitors, and faculty. Students have to outsource parking spots which forces them to walk to campus during unsafe hours and poor weather conditions.”

THE APPROACH

We can ease the stress of daily commuting for students by allowing them to have a way to feel more prepared for the inevitable morning rush

Introducing Parking Pro

An app that allows students and everyday commuters to locate parking near their destinations with ease

The onboarding process for Parking Pro starts with prompting people to input their weekly schedules and locations. The app then displays garages near the destinations and allows for quick booking and real-time updates.

Qualitative and quantitative research questions

In order to better empathize with students’ commuting experiences, I asked a variety of questions that helped me understand the extra time that goes into the search for parking. The questions I asked helped me relate and connect with the negative emotions that arise within individuals as they juggle difficult morning routines.

“Getting from my house to class takes me an hour and a half which is a very long commute considering I live only 25 minutes from campus.”
- Santa Clara University Student
“As a student who often has studio classes on Monday, I have to carry a lot of equipment…I try to find good parking but I end up having to carry my work bags a few blocks to campus every week. This is a big source of frustration and makes Mondays feel harder than they already are.”
- San Jose State Student
“It feels like the university admits more students than it has capacity for but does not work to provide for arrangements. If I am paying a parking fee and cannot find parking I feel angry in the mornings.”
- UC Riverside Student
“Even when it is not rush hour, it usually takes me 15 min just for parking, and during rush hour I am often circling the lots hoping that the next garage I enter has at least one spot. I also pay for outside parking monthly outside of the semester parking fee.”
- San Jose State Student

USER INTERVIEWS

Home Screen

Driver’s in-vehicle journey with Parking Pro starts from the home screen of their infotainment system where they can access Parking Pro from the widgets

Parking Pro widget displays daily schedule
Widget recommends parking garages based on the synced schedule
Driver can edit or start a new search from the widget

Search - Phase 1

Drivers can click on the parking pro icon and start their search

In this example, the driver’s end goal is San Jose State
View most frequented destinations

Search - Phase 2

After selecting their final destination, Parking Pro prompts the driver to edit the provided filters

Edit filters such as walking distance and price range

Search - Phase 3

The driver is shown their closest search results

Given the option to sort their results by specific filters or by closest destination
Quick view of the parking spaces and open stations

Reviewing openings

Before reserving a spot, the driver can see parking and charging openings

This allows students and morning commuters to feel more prepared

Reserving and payment

Upon selecting North Garage, the payment process is automatically synced in-vehicle

Allows for easy bookings
Add time according to schedule

Overview of directions

Parking Pro shows the driver their reservation status so they can get updates in case there are any changes
Simple interface allows for less distraction while on the road

Process Book

Parking Pro