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ParkingParkingParkingParking Meters,Meters,Meters,Meters,needneedneedneed change?change?change?change?
Having a look at the world of parking meters…
How many roads to Rome?
They are everywhere and, admit it, nobody likes to use them:parking meters. The focus of this article is to compare parkingmeters around the globe and to find the basic commonalities orremarkable differences in their interfaces, and whetherimprovement is needed.When thinking about the task of using a parking meter, youmight expect this to be a universal design challenge. Getting aparking ticket in Brazil shouldn't differ much from getting one inNew Zealand, should it? Are parking meters all over the worldbasically the same or are there a lot of variations of the concept?Are there patterns in the design of parking meters all over theworld and is it possible to create a universal meter that couldpotentially be used everywhere by anyone?To get an overview of what variations there currently are in theparking meters all over the world, we asked usabilityprofessionals in various countries to describe a typical parkingmeter in their country. These parking meters were thencompared to find common challenges and solutions to theproblem of making people pay for a parking space, or at leastallowing them to.What we have found is that no two parking meters in our surveyare completely the same and that the complexity of operating theparking meters varies considerably. There is a world of differencebetween the auto-detecting parking meter in Tokyo and thecomplex and error-prone parking ticket dispenser in Amsterdam.
About this study
Why?Why?Why?Why?13 November 2008 is World UsabilityDay. This year transportation is thetheme.The UXalliance (www.uxalliance.com)wished to observe this by looking intoa common transportation designchallenge, the Parking Meter.What?What?What?What?The focus of this study is to get aninsight into how the common task of paying for a parking space isaddressed globally. Do parkingmeters differ between countries or arethey all facing the same designchallenges?How?How?How?How?Usability professionals in nine differentcountries went out and tried to use alocal parking meter. They took picturesof this process and reported theirfindings to us. We then compared thedifferent reports to find commonpatterns and problems.AuthorsAuthorsAuthorsAuthors- Chris Pierson- Martijn Klompenhouwer- Jacco NieuwlandUser Intelligence, the Netherlands(www.userintelligence.com)
 
 2 Parking meters, need change?
Areas of complexity
 To compare different meters we focused on identifying commonareas of complexity in the process of using a parking meter.What exactly are some of the design challenges that metersneed to solve? When looking at the parking meter interfaces inour sample it begs the question: Why are some meters so muchmore difficult to use than others? More importantly, why arethey complicated at all?When comparing the various meters in our sample, weidentified some common factors that contribute to thecomplexity in interacting with these machines:
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Space selection (paying for a specific space)
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Instructions (complex printed instructions vs. interactivedisplays)
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Buttons and flows (does the hardware support the task?)
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Number of tasks (just inserting coins vs. selecting tickettype, paying for the ticket and printing the ticket)
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Payment methods (cash, parking card, creditcard or achoice of any of those)
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Feedback (does the meter provide feedback and is ituseful?)
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Displaying the ticket (is it clear what to do with the ticket?)
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Error correction (does the meter allow actions to beundone?)These identified areas of complexity in the interaction will beexplained in more detail in the following chapters.
Space selection
One factor that seems to influence the complexity of the meter is the number of parking spaces it hasto provide ‘metering’ for. The meters in our sample that are dedicatedto one or two spaces were considered much easier to use thanmeters that serve multiple parking spaces (Pay and Display).One of the properties of a dedicated parking meter is that it'sassigned to a specific parking spot. However, some parking metersare placed between two spots and allow users of both spots to payat that meter (left and right of the meter). This means that the user willhave to select for which of the two spaces they are paying. The onlymeter in our survey that requires this is the Chinese parking meterand it provides the user with a very straightforward way of selectingthe space they are paying for.
Contributors
This study was conducted with co-operation between a number of theUXalliance partners & associates:BrazilBrazilBrazilBrazil::::Mercedes Sanchez Usabilidade(www.mercedessanchez.com.br)  ChinaChinaChinaChina::::User Experience(www.userexperience.cn)FranceFranceFranceFrance::::Axance(www.axance.com)GermanyGermanyGermanyGermany::::SirValUse(www.sirvaluse.de) Japan Japan Japan Japan::::Mitsue-Links(www.mitsue.co.jp)TheTheTheThe NetherlandsNetherlandsNetherlandsNetherlands::::User Intelligence(www.userintelligence.com)New ZealandNew ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand::::Optimal Usability (www.optimalusability.com)UKUKUKUK::::Serco Usability Services(www.serco.com/usability)USUSUSUS::::User Centric Inc.(www.usercentric.com)China:China:China:China: select where you areparking: in the space left orright of the meter.
 
 3 Parking meters, need change?The meter in Tokyo, Japan was able to detectwhen a car had parked in 'its' space. This made itpossible to automatically indicate which meter touse. A light would flash on the meter the user justparked at and would not stop flashing until you'veinserted enough coins.In New York, the parking meters are also placedbetween two parking spaces. The angle of placement of the parking meter determines forwhich parking space it is. We feel this could bemade more explicit.
Instructions
Looking at the interface of various parking meters in this study, one common complication seems tobe the number of information items that have to be ‘taken in’ and understood in order to use themeter. A meter from the Netherlands for example shows fiveor more areas on the interface with instructions used toexplain how to use the machine.In many cases it is necessary to give instructions on how touse the parking meter. This in itself suggests the interfacedesign could be better. However, if instructions are requiredthe design of this information is as important as the designof the rest of the interface. In some cases the instructions aredisplayed in a flow, which makes it easier to follow.However, in most cases users need to read text that offerslittle structure.The instructions on parking meters that are dedicated to oneor two spots are in general much shorter and simpler. Formost users, these types of machines should be relativelyeasy to understand. Of course, language can still be anissue for foreigners. Most non-English language machinesoffered instructions in different languages, but this is not ageneral rule (e.g. Brazilian and Japanese meter).In some cases instruction are not very easy to understand. On one of the UK meters the instructions toexplain that it is illegal to insert new coins after your initial time has expired is worded as:"
Subsequent insertion of a coin is a contravention 
".Parking during (public) holidays is sometimes free. Although this is mentioned on the machine, somemachines did not actually list which dates are considered holidays.
New YorkNew YorkNew YorkNew York:::: themeter is placedexactly betweentwo parkingspaces. In thepicture, this meterdoes not belongto the white van,but to the emptyplace behind it.AAAAmsterdammsterdammsterdammsterdam:::: Instructions on when to pay,different available tickets, how to pay,what to do in case of a defect and whathappens if you forget to pay.
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