A smart parking app for disabled people

We were asked to develop a digitally scannable parking service paying respect to the privacy of people with disabilities. We have carried out an innovation project in collaboration with the municipalities of Amsterdam, Haarlem and Leiden. The result? A smart parking app that allows people with a physical disability to travel in the Netherlands without any hassle.

The innovation team followed a user-centric approach from start to finish. Qualitative research has helped us tremendously in better understanding people with disabilities and civil servants, their contexts and experiences. We have learned that people with a GPK often have to figure out all kinds of things before they go out, based on information that is not always up-to-date. The biggest issues are: the difference in policies between municipalities, (free) disabled parking spots are difficult to find and accessibility is also a concern. Many places are not spacious enough for a wheelchair bus; for people transferring from a car to a wheelchair, a parallel, high sidewalk is difficult. Also a lamppost or the parking sign at the back or side can hinder getting out.

We developed four personas, addressed the most important values and tested the viability of two different value propositions. We then made a service blueprint of the backend of the parking solution and delivered a clickable prototype in four iterations. This was validated with the user group and interest groups such as 'Ieder(in)' and the Client Council and tested in eleven large and medium-sized municipalities.

The app we designed solves several parking bottlenecks for disabled people. The parking app is easily accessible and has three levels of use. Nudges are used to stimulate optimal use of the app. The basis (level 1) is that no disabled parking card holder needs to check the parking regulations and rates of all 352 municipalities in the Netherlands. The app easily shows the local regulations in advance and on the spot, and provides smart reminders. This prevents unnecessary fines and notices of objection. The app shows the location and availability of disabled parking spaces. This way disabled persons no longer have unpleasant surprises. Nor do they need to drive around looking for a suitable parking place.

When the user links his parking permit to the app (level 2), he has digital proof of the right to park. As the GPK is digital, there is no risk of the parking permit being stolen from the car. If payment for a parking space is required then the transaction can be done with the app. Nice and easy, especially for wheelchair users, who often have trouble with hard-to-reach payment terminals.

The app knows the parking policies of the individual municipalities and ensures ultimate convenience to users. By downloading one permit only in the app (level 3), several municipal permits are 'unlocked'. This reduces the pressure on licensing procedures and increases efficiency.

Privacy, inclusiveness (belonging) and justice are important values for municipalities. These values are also the starting point of our solution. For parking permit holders, the values at the base of the pyramid are particularly important: 'convenience' and 'avoiding risk'. If these basic needs have been addressed, the user can start their journey without hassle and enjoy a care-free outing. The app fully supports this. One of the shared values is 'justice': both government and users suffer from abuse and fraud with parking permits and seek fair use of the facilities for people who really need them.

The project was funded with public money. Therefore the team found it important to communicate publicly about approach, progress and results. All studies, prototypes, presentations and the latest state of affairs are therefore accessible to everyone. In addition to the 3-weekly (online) sprint reviews, we also kept a project blog.

Sometimes innovations do not get past the drawing board. Fortunately, not in this case. The Service House Parking and Residence Rights (SHPV), the Municipal Network for Mobility and Infrastructure (GNMI) and the Netherlands Vehicle Authority (RDW) have shown their willingness to take the next step and ensure that this app is implemented.