Parking Rental Service - Case Study
Problem Statement: Lack of available parking spaces in the city (mainly concentrated areas).
Logo for the product app - Parking Rentr
The problem we are trying to solve for end-users is to remove the lack of parking spaces by providing secured parking spaces without any hassle. It would help them select and reserve a secured parking spot of their choice for a specified number of days at their destination, thereby removing the hassle of looking for a parking space. I believe that this would have a great impact on user’s lives, as the product would aim to not only provide secured parking spaces but would also reduce the number of cars parked on the roadside, which would, in turn, result in wider and better driving space and experience and would also effectively reduce traffic jams as well.
Sign Up page for Parking Space/CarOwners
Users: I will be breaking down the user base into two segments:
Parking Space/Car Owners: I will assume that all generic users who own a car, must have faced this problem at least once, where they would’ve struggled to find a good parking space. I believe that people with four-wheelers are more inclined to face this problem, as two-wheelers usually don’t take up a lot of space even on roadside parking. People need a solution to the lack of parking spaces, as nobody wants to leave their vehicles in unsecured parking spaces on the roadside, and our product would help them access parking spaces at gated societies and builder floor apartments in the vicinity of their destination without any hassle. This user segment will have two user roles: parking space owners and users looking for parking space.
Gated Societies/Builder Floor Apartments: This segment of users will have another UX of the same product, which would help the security team of gated societies cross-check and keep track of all the vehicles coming in for rental parking spaces. This would enable societies in making sure that the security of residents and users of the society remains intact.
Giving user the option for easy Sign Up via their social media accounts.
The problem we are trying to solve for end-users is to remove the lack of parking spaces by providing secured parking spaces without any hassle. It would help them select and reserve a secured parking spot of their choice for a specified number of days at their destination, thereby removing the hassle of looking for a parking space. I believe that this would have a great impact on user’s lives, as the product would aim to not only provide secured parking spaces but would also reduce the number of cars parked on the roadside, which would, in turn, result in wider and better driving space and experience and would also effectively reduce traffic jams as well.
Two-Step verification process
The product idea is essentially an app, that enables one user role to list their parking spaces on the app, while simultaneously allowing another set of a user roles to book a parking space for a nominal fee on their desired date and time in the vicinity of their destination.
The UX for another user segment will include notifications and listings for all the vehicles that will be coming into the society on that particular day, which will help them maintain the security of the society. To increase security, all sets of user segments will need to be KYC verified to use the services of the app.
Sign In page for pre-registered users
The design thinking ideology asserts that a hands-on, user-centric approach to problem-solving can lead to innovation, and innovation can lead to differentiation and competitive advantage. This hands-on, user-centric approach is defined by the design thinking process and comprises 5 distinct phases, as implemented in this project:
User can select the vehicle type they are looking a parking space for.
Empathy
The primary research, where we conducted research in order to develop knowledge about what our users do, say, think, and feel, to determine some of the pain points that the users might be facing while looking for a parking space in the vicinity of their destination. During the research, and while talking to customers, we found out that 90.5% of users own a vehicle, out of which 76.2% of users face issues while looking for a good and reliable parking space at their destination
User can swipe between different available spots on the bottom of the screen and the map above will show the location and distance upon integration with Google Maps.
Define
After the primary research, we combined all our research and observed where our user’s problems exist and pinpointed our user’s needs, and begin to highlight opportunities for innovation in our product.
As per the research conducted, users also pointed out the issues that they face while looking for a parking spot which comprised of: security issues, distance of parking spot from destination, and leaving cars at the roadside, etc.
Apart from solving these issues by providing secured and covered parking in gated societies and builder floor apartments, we also aim to add the following features to the product to enable a smoother experience for the user.
KYC Verified users, for added security.
Multiple user segments which will involve the following:
• Parking Space Owners (people looking to rent out their parking spaces)
• Vehicle Owners (people looking for parking spaces to park their vehicles at)
• Security Teams of Gated societies (to keep track of all the vehicles coming in for rental parking spaces)
• Multiple reminders before the parking are executed (to minimize any last-minute confusion, for all the users).
Multiple notifications to the security team of societies before the car owner arrives to park the car
User can select the date and time of their choice to book the parking space.
Ideate
After empathizing and defining, we eventually settled upon a three-pronged approach, where we looked at solutions in three categories. First, quick-win solutions. Second, rational solutions that would make sense as possibilities in terms of cost, practicality, and fitting the time constraints. And thirdly, long-shot solutions, that may not be probable in present circumstances but could be options in the future.
Quick-win solution
• For quick-win solutions, we thought about the initial stage of the app, which would include the basic functionality, like a smooth onboarding KYC and booking process for both the parking space owners and vehicle owners.
• During the booking process, we’ll also be charging a nominal fee from the user which will go to the parking space owner.
• We’ll also be integrating messaging through our website or mobile app, allowing users to communicate without sharing private contact information
Rational Solutions
In the next stage, under rational solutions, we’ll include multiple reminders before the parking is executed and multiple notifications to the security team of societies. Adding multiple security checks within the app, from the customer support and then by the security team of the society. Integrating multiple third-party apps like google maps (for users to reach their parking spot hassle-free), payment gateways, etc.
Long-shot Solutions
Under long-shot solutions, we’ll try to solve, how sure can the users be that their vehicle would be safe in scenarios when booked through our app, where safety is not just about the vehicle ‘not getting stolen’ but while they park at societies, how can they be sure that no kids or anybody else scratches or does any physical damage.
User also has the option to select from multiple parking spaces if available in the same building/area.
Secondary Market Research
We went through the secondary market research where we pondered upon the existing solutions and customers.
We came across a few products and companies that do offer parking on rent, like Park+, Parking hawker, and Parking-on-lease (in India) but we believe that what separates us from them is that the competitors provide parking spaces in malls and public spaces, that too on a daily or monthly basis, whereas we will be providing it on an hourly basis as well, which will, in turn, help the users to plan their schedule accordingly.
The reason for picking this solution over others is that the problem of parking in a country like India is humongous, and users tend to face this problem on a daily basis. We know that the last thing the world needs is another parking complex. We’re helping to connect those who have spare parking spots with those needing cheap and convenient parking spaces.
Final details of the cart before checking out.
Product Strategy
Company Mission
For assumption, we are naming the product as “Parking Rentr” for now.
Rentr is starting with a mission to connect commuters to safe, secure, and digitized parking spaces all across the country. We want to make it easier for travelers to save time when searching for parking spaces at different spots in the country. Going by the mantra that change will always remain the only constant, we just go by the one simple rule, “Simplifying the process of parking your vehicle.”
So, join us in our endeavor to help you take care of your parking needs like never before.
Product Vision
With our product vision statement, we want to describe the overarching long-term mission of Rentr. Our vision statement aims to communicate concisely where the product hopes to go and what it hopes to achieve in the long term. “Helping customers with their parking needs and beyond”
- User Goals
Life goals – The user will have a secured and reliable parking space near their destination.
Experience goals – The user will experience a hassle-free booking process of a parking space.
End goals – The product will enable the user to book a parking space near their destination according to their schedule and time of arrival while providing security solutions.
Booking Confirmation screen
Business and Product Goals
• First 2 months – Product launch, marketing, and onboarding of new gated societies, builder floor apartments, and new users, while refining the user experience and doing customer interviews on how we can improve the functionality. While aiming to reach the first few thousand in sales.
• Next 2 months – Improving the user experience based on customer feedback, and aim at achieving the following goals:
Double sales as compared to the first two months.
Metric: 2x the sales of the first two months
• Next 4 months – Aim to become the largest partner ecosystem and target 4x the sales as compared to the first 4 months.
Metric: 150+ gated societies and builder floor apartments on boarded across 10 cities.
