IH02-ConnieKo

From IEOR 170 Spring 2007

Contents 1 PARKING SIGNS 1.1 Problem Description 1.2 Context and Forces: 1.3 Target User Group: 1.4 Solution and Sketch:

[edit] PARKING SIGNS

[edit] Problem Description

Street parking signs on the South side of Berkeley can be quite confusing to drivers looking for parking in the area. Here are descriptions of two signs that are on my street:

1. A 2 hr parking sign with a parking permit picture on it
2. A sign that says “No Parking”

With this description of the signs, here’s how some people can interpret them (including myself when I first came to Cal):

1. 2 hour parking with a permit
2. No Parking…EVER

This of course would confuse a driver seeing that they will probably see people, without permits, parked on the street even with the “No Parking” signs.

Upon closer examination, this is what the signs really say:

1. 2 hr parking for drivers without permits, people with parking permits have unlimited parking time. Also, it’s only 2 hr parking until 7pm, after that it’s unlimited for everyone.
2. No parking on the fourth Thursday of each month between the hours of “9am and noon”

Of course, with a little bit of thinking a driver could probably conclude that the 2 hr parking limit would be applicable to non-permit holders. He would also probably figure out that it is OK to park where there are “No Parking” signs. But the point is it would take him a while to figure it out. Also, it might take him a while to figure out he doesn’t have to move his car every 2 hours after 7pm.

[edit] Context and Forces:

Granted, once a driver figures out how to read the signs, this mistake probably wouldn’t be made too often, but until he figures it out, it can be an annoyance for the following reasons:

1. It is hard to find street parking in Berkeley, and if a driver sees a spot but a “No Parking” sign, he might pass it up and another person would take it.
2. A driver would have to deal with the parking chaos every 2 hours even after 7pm

It might be that this would not be that big of a problem since most locals know the rules of the parking signs. However, the types of drivers that drive within a few miles of the Berkeley campus are a bit different from the normal population. Namely, college students and their parents; and this population rotates in with new college students and their parents and out with old college students and their parents every year. A large portion of this population comes from suburban areas where people never had to park on the streets (including me) in their lives. Furthermore, most incoming students have had their drivers’ licenses for a few years at most, the chances of them having to drive and park in a Berkeley type environment before is debatable.

[edit] Target User Group:

The following types of people fall into my user group category:

1. Student drivers from suburban areas
2. Parent drivers from suburban areas
3. Student drivers in general

I would mainly like to focus on the first two types of people, but I believe that the signs can even be confusing to regular users of the area.

The final design should fulfill the drivers’ needs to be able to understand the street parking signs in order to find parking without risk of being ticketed or towed if they follow the guidelines that are stated clearly.

[edit] Solution and Sketch:

Solution 1: A more straight forward sign, with pictures to eliminate confusion.

Solution 2: Parking poles that simply changes the message from “2 hr parking” to “parking until <insert appropriate time here>am” to “no parking” depending on what is needed. Since less people buy parking permits, maybe the people that purchase parking permits should be better informed so that their signs don’t have to be so prominent to everyone.