Problem description

It's well known that Los Andes University's parking lots are limited, all potential users (specially students), have to make long lines and wait tens of minutes for being able to park inside the only parking lot that this institution has. One of the biggest problems is not knowing when a parking lot is free, if are they full or what's the approximate time in line for getting a place to park. Knowing the actual situation, if the potential users of the parking lot could get real time information about the parking lot state, statistics about it or even make a reservation, lots of problems related with it could be solved.

Interview Structure

0. Introduction

• Would you be okay with this interview being recorded for research and analysis purposes?
  • Purpose: To ensure the interviewee agrees with the recording and that legal requirements are met.

1. Getting to Know the Interviewee

• Could you tell us about your personal experience and how you are connected with Los Andes University?
  • Purpose: To understand the interviewee's background and their relationship with the university.

2. Parking Experience and Challenges

• How often do you find yourself needing to use the parking facilities at Los Andes University?

  • Purpose: To understand how frequently the interviewee needs to use the university's parking facilities.

• What challenges do you usually encounter when trying to find parking on campus?

  • Purpose: To identify the most common challenges the interviewee faces when trying to park on campus.

• Could you share an experience where finding parking at the university was particularly difficult?

  • Purpose: To gather specific examples of challenges the interviewee has faced.

3. Current Solutions and Practices

• What criteria do you currently use to decide when and where to park at the university?

  • Purpose: To analyze how the interviewee addresses the parking challenge and what tools or methods they use.

• Have you ever used apps, tools, or any method to check parking availability before arriving on campus? If so, how effective were they?

  • Purpose: To assess the effectiveness of the tools or methods the interviewee has used to solve the parking problem.

4. User Needs and Preferences

• If you could design a parking app for the university, what features would be essential for you?

  • Purpose: To identify the functions that the interviewee considers most important in a technological solution for parking.

• How important are aspects like real-time parking availability, the ability to reserve spaces, or estimated wait times to you?

  • Purpose: To prioritize the features that are most relevant to the user in the development of the app.

5. Privacy and Security Concerns

• Do you have any concerns about the privacy or security of your data when using a parking management app?
  • Purpose: To identify potential user concerns that could influence the adoption of the application.

6. Adoption and Usage

• What would motivate you to use a parking app that helps you find available spaces on campus more easily?

  • Purpose: To determine the factors that could drive the user to adopt the proposed solution.

• Is there anything else related to parking at the university that you consider important to mention that we haven't discussed?

  • Purpose: To ensure that all relevant points have been covered and to give the interviewee space to share additional information.

Interview 1

Author: Santiago Vargas

Full Interview

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d634d5a9-4e58-4e85-833e-d7ae067d15ae

Interview Summary

Interviewer: Would you agree to have this interview recorded for research and analysis purposes?
Interviewee: Yes, perfect. I have no problem with that.

Interviewer: Could you tell me a bit about your personal experience and how you are currently connected with Miguel Hernández University?
Interviewee: I am a fourth-semester literature student, and I am also taking a management course. I've been at the university for about two years.

Interviewer: How often do you find yourself needing to use the parking at Universidad de los Andes or the nearby parking lots?
Interviewee: Well, personally, I try to bring my car about two or three times a week, always trying to park in a safe place and choosing the best option available.

Interviewer: What problems do you usually face when trying to find parking near the university?
Interviewee: Mainly, I feel that availability is a major issue. After 8 AM, it becomes very difficult to find a good parking spot that is available and doesn’t charge an exorbitant fee.

Interviewer: Could you share or tell me about a specific experience where finding parking near the university was particularly challenging?
Interviewee: I clearly remember last semester during finals week. We all had our final exams, and I had a very important exam at 8 AM. I arrived with plenty of time to spare, but I had to rush to my exam. If I recall correctly, I was slightly late because of the parking situation. So, that was a particularly complicated situation.

Interviewer: In order, what are the three criteria you use to decide where and when to park near the university?
Interviewee: I believe the main criterion is cost. Secondly, availability—especially since it’s very difficult to find parking later in the morning. Lastly, security is also very important because of the safety concerns regarding the parking lots.

Interviewer: Have you ever used any tool or app that could be useful to check parking availability? Do any exist?
Interviewee: Personally, I haven’t come across such an app, and neither have my friends who also drive to the university. But I feel that such an app would be very helpful.

Interviewer: If you could design a parking app for the university, what features do you think would be essential for you?
Interviewee: I think the main feature would be ease of use. I also think it’s important to have good support from the developers because sometimes the app could be well-designed, but if users don’t know how to use it, they won’t take full advantage of it.

Interviewer: How important would features like real-time parking availability, the ability to reserve spaces, or wait time estimations be to you if such an app were designed?
Interviewee: For me, the most important feature would be real-time parking availability. As I mentioned, if I could see the available parking spots before arriving at the university, I could go directly to a spot that fits my budget. I also find the ability to reserve spaces interesting because, if all the spaces are occupied, one could look for other alternatives.

Interviewer: How concerned are you about the privacy and security of your data that the app might manage? Is this an important issue for you?
Interviewee: I think this is quite important because I’ve seen many cases where apps misuse personal data for purposes that users are not fully aware of.

Insights

1. Stress from Limited Parking Availability During Peak Hours

What? Gabriela experiences significant stress due to the limited availability of parking spaces at the university, particularly after 8 AM, when peak hours make it nearly impossible to find an open spot.

How? Despite leaving home early, Gabriela often finds herself anxious and frustrated because the time spent searching for parking can cause her to arrive late to her classes. This situation becomes even more stressful during critical times, such as exam weeks, where the consequences of being late are more severe.

Why? Gabriela's stress stems from the unpredictability of finding a parking spot in time, which directly impacts her punctuality and performance in her academic commitments, particularly during exams.

Who? This situation involves Gabriela, a university student who values punctuality and academic success, and is negatively impacted by the inefficiencies in the current parking system.

2. Financial Concerns Regarding Parking Costs

What? Gabriela is concerned about the high costs of parking at the university, particularly when the more affordable options are unavailable, forcing her to pay for more expensive spaces.

How? This situation causes Gabriela financial stress, as she sometimes struggles to afford the higher parking fees, yet feels compelled to pay them in order to secure a parking spot and avoid being late.

Why? The lack of affordable parking options during peak hours puts Gabriela in a difficult position, where she has to choose between financial strain and risking tardiness to her classes.

Who? This issue affects Gabriela, who is a cost-conscious student trying to balance her limited budget with the need to park conveniently near her classes.

3. The Need for a User-Friendly Parking Solution

What? Gabriela believes that there is a lack of existing tools or solutions to address the parking issues at the university, and she strongly supports the development of an app that could help.

How? While Gabriela is enthusiastic about the idea of a parking app, she emphasizes the importance of having an interface that is simple and user-friendly, so that it can be easily adopted by students like herself. She also suggests that the ability to reserve a parking spot in advance would greatly reduce stress and help avoid traffic congestion within the parking areas.

Why? Gabriela's emphasis on ease of use and reservation features suggests that she values efficiency and intuitiveness in the tools she uses, and she would likely reject a solution that is complicated or time-consuming to navigate.

Who? The primary user would be Gabriela and other students at the university who need a straightforward, effective way to manage their parking needs, including the convenience of reserving a spot.

4. Privacy Concerns with Sharing Vehicle Information

What? Gabriela expresses concern about the potential sensitivity of the data that a parking app might request, particularly regarding her vehicle information.

How? Although she sees the benefit of a parking app, Gabriela is cautious about sharing personal and vehicle-related data, fearing that this information could be misused or compromised.

Why? Gabriela's concerns are rooted in a desire to protect her privacy and ensure that any data she shares is secure and only used for its intended purpose.

Who? This issue involves Gabriela and other privacy-conscious users who would consider using a parking app but need assurance that their personal data will be handled securely.

Interview 2

Author: Dionny S. Cárdenas

Full Interview

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/a831aba1-f989-4315-85a3-a65a6c250ce3

Interview Summary

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e87eba22-7141-4e69-8075-9fa183e5247e

Insights

1. Stress from Limited Parking Availability During Peak Hours

What? Mateo owns a vehicle, but it bothers him to have problems finding parking near the university. The university's parking spaces are usually not enough, so he faces difficulties during times when there are a lot of people.

How? For Mateo, it always ends up being a waste of time because he has to search for a spot among the different parking lots of the buildings, sometimes even having to park far from the university.

Why? Mateo can't always be punctual or arrive on time, so this wasted time trying to find a nearby parking spot in good condition is a problem that affects his performance throughout the day.

Who? The problem doesn't just affect Mateo; it also impacts hundreds of students, faculty, and visitors to the university who own their own vehicles.

2. Financial Concerns Regarding Parking Costs

What? Mateo also mentioned issues with the high costs of parking, explaining that if he wants more affordable options, he risks parking in places with less security or farther away from the university.

How? This makes it difficult for Mateo to have comfortable mobility with his vehicle, as it also involves high parking costs and the risk that his vehicle could be involved in something due to the lack of security in other options.

Why? Not having statistics that allow Mateo to know where and when to park puts him in an uncomfortable position, forcing him to seek other transportation options to minimize costs and time.

Who? This problem mainly affects students like Mateo, who have a limited amount of money to access these services continuously.

3. The Need for a User-Friendly Parking Solution

What? Mateo mentioned that he has never seen an app of that kind. He explained that the ability to see available spaces, reserve them, or similar services usually happens through word of mouth, meaning that it involves directly communicating with people who work at the parking facility and getting notifications from them.

How? Mateo was excited about a solution for this problem. However, he also mentioned that due to the nature of the application, he would like it to be easy to use and updated in real time, as time windows without updates could perpetuate the same problem.

Why? Mateo believes that the app will be used by everyone, including people who don’t usually park but might find it necessary at some point. Therefore, it should be simple for everyone to use and consume as little time as possible.

Who? The main users would continue to be students, university professors, staff, and visitors coming to the facilities.

4. Privacy Concerns with Sharing Vehicle Information

What? Mateo mentioned that he doesn’t have extensive knowledge of security but believes the app should have adequate measures to ensure that sensitive information is not leaked

How? Mateo wouldn’t want personal information or the location where his vehicle is parked to be accessible to everyone on the app.

Why? Mateo is someone who tries to protect his information because he does not want his personal data to be used for malicious purposes.

Who? This issue not only concerns Mateo but also all the app users who want to keep their sensitive information secure; it is a right that everyone should have.