Company: Parkster
Date: April-June 2022
Project type: LIA 1 (Internship 1)
Location: Lund, Head office
My Role: UX design, UI, Research
Course summary
Assignment
Work on various UX-related tasks. Primarily related to the UI in the app and internal systems.
Purpose
Practice the professional role of a UX Designer.
Timeline
10 weeks
Roles:
Oliver Nyberg - UX Designer
What I worked on:
- Research
- User interviews & internal interviews
- Observations
- Strategic meetings,
- Competitor analysis
- Present and hand over to developers
- Designing UI
- Delivering mockups (Lo-Fi & Hi-Fi)
Learnings
-
Project Planning - How projects are planned and executed.
- Collaboration and Communication - Collaborated and communicated with fellow employees, designers, developers, and stakeholders
- Multi-Project Management - Managed multiple projects simultaneously and timeboxing.
- Interview Skills - Developed my ability to conduct effective interviews for research.
- UX Tools and Methods - Learned how (and when) to use various UX tools and methods.
- Prototyping & Figma - Enhanced my skills in Figma.
- Presentation Skills: How to present my work and deliver prototypes to developers.
For reflections, scroll to the bottom of this page
My projects
EV-Charging
Task
Design the interface for electric vehicle charging that was about to be added to the existing app interface
What I did
- Researching how electric vehicle charging works.
- Reviewing other electric vehicle charging apps.
- Meetings and gatering needs from stakeholders and developers
- Sketched initial designs by hand.
- Created a Lo-Fi, and a Hi-Fi prototype
- Presented and handed the design over to developers
My protptype step 1
step 2
step 3
Final design
How the finished add-on came to look in the Andorid app, based on my design.
EV-Charging 2.0
Task
Design a charging station mockup that displays the various statuses of the charging station and can be used to try the charging in the app.
What I did
- Gathered requirements
- Research of EV-chargers
-
Designed a Figma prototype with animations that allowed to "drag & plug in" chargers.
First iteration. I did what I was asked to deliver. But it turned out to be too complicated to build.
Second iteration: A simpler, more streamlined version. This was later programmed and showcased at the Svepark trade fair where the visitors could try out the new feature for EV-charging.
Everything got a turn
I designed what I was asked to (first iteration) but when I presented it to the development team they were all a bit worried. My prototype would be too expensive to build. After that, I designed a scaled down version (second iteration) that was much more suited to their needs.
Learnings
This experience made me truly understand the importance of involving developers in the early stages of design to gain their perspective on the idea or design. It also taught me the importance of not simply designing what I am asked to do without delving into the problem to discover the actual needs. By doing so, a better solution might be found that addresses the root problem and need.
User interviews
Just a random pic of me talking to people on the streets of Lund about their experiences with Parkster.
Back Office
Task
Redesign Parkster's "Backoffice", an internal system used by parking lot owners.
What I did
- Gathered requirements.
- Conducted user interviews.
- Reviewed competitors and other similar systems.
- Created mood boards for inspiration.
- Performed card sorting.
- Designed flowcharts.
- Developed user scenarios.
- Created hand sketches.
- Built a prototype in Balsamiq.
- Built a prototype in Figma.
"Current Back Office - In need of a modernized UI"
Two prototypes I made
New design for Parkster
Task
Redesign Parkster's parking app with a new flow, from downloading the app to activating a parking ticket.
What I did
Based on my research, as well as extensive discussions and mapping with design colleagues, I created a clickable prototype in Balsamiq for a new app design.
For privacy reasons, I am unable to provide more detailed information or display the prototype in higher resolution.
Reflections and learnings
During my internship, I gained valuable knowledge and insights into what it's like to work as a UX designer. I had the opportunity to observe the daily work routine, how projects are planned and executed, and collaborate with other team members. I had the chance to drive my own projects from start to finish, implementing what I had learned during my education and deciding on methods and other aspects of the projects.
Most of the work I did independently, with regular check-ins with my supervisor. This provided me with a solid understanding of how to plan, structure, and prioritize my work and time. Time management was a challenge, as I often found it difficult to estimate how much time different tasks would require, always striving to be as efficient as possible.
An important insight I gained was the significance of collaborating with developers. They possess a wealth of knowledge and can identify things that might be overlooked. I also gained an understanding of the specific details they tend to focus on and what they might react to in a prototype. Additionally, I learned not to design solely based on the client's preferences but to invest time in understanding the problems and needs, as what the client wants may not necessarily solve the problem.
One thing I missed was the opportunity to conduct user testing. It would have been interesting to see how larger design teams approach UX.
Despite the relatively short duration of LIA 1, it was a highly enjoyable experience and served as valuable preparation for LIA 2 and my future career as I UX designer.
Have a look on my other projects
