RingGo... A case study
This app's purpose is to let users pay for parking with a credit/debit card or by phone, rather than using cash at a machine. Through personal use and the stories of friends and colleagues, and further investigation on social media and review sites such as Trustpilot, I have found that there are a large number of users who have experienced difficulty with this app. Including Hugh Grant who expressed his displeasure via "X" (formally Twitter)...
Morning, @RingGo_parking - nice move making parking via your crapp app endless unless we remember to stop it. We admire ripoff businesses.
This rant is because the app introduced a feature that lets users start a timer when they park and stop it when they leave. The app automatically charges the user for the specified time. The issue was that if the user forgot to stop the timer, they continued to be charged until the maximum time was reached.
My assumption is: that users are frustrated when they cannot get the app to work and have difficulty connecting to a live person to deal will disputed charges or a malfunctioning app.
User testing:
I have conducted interviews and observed user interaction with the app to see how they progressed with installing the app, and getting through to a live operator.
Here are the results of 4 random user interviews:
What is your payment preference: app or cash/card at the machine?
K App — because it is quicker
S Both — likes having options
G Cash — feels comfortable
M Cash/Card — easier
Have You ever needed customer service help?
K Yes — frustrating. The automated system could not deal with my issue and kept going around in circles. Felt like it was trying to avoid putting a live person on the phone.
S Yes — I had to wait a long time to get a live person. Could not help getting a code.
G No
M Yes — Did not get a code and the issues could not be dealt with by the automated system. Did not get to speak with a live person.
Has there ever been a situation where you could not pay?
— What did you do in that situation?
K Yes — received multiple parking tickets and was told to contact the local council to deal with the issue — who then referred me back to RingGo. Seems as if they are incompetent.
S Yes — moved to a different location
G Yes — the app did not allow me to select the timeframe I wanted. Had to try multiple times. Eventually, it worked
M Yes — had to find somewhere that I could get coins to use in the machine. Frustrating with a capital “F”
Are you normally in a hurry to park?
K Yes — Especially if I have been driving around looking for an empty spot.
S Yes
G Yes
M Yes
The observations during the user testing showed frustration when there was a need to contact customer service. Two of the four did not receive a confirmation code and one never got to speak to a customer service rep.
Below is the problem statement my research group have led me to conclude — and has been confirmed by the reviews online.
I am... a driver
I am trying to... pay for my parking using the RingGo app
but... I cannot complete the process
because... I have not received the confirmation code and I cannot get through to customer service
which makes me feel... frustrated and annoyed.
The user persona is a driver who is in somewhat of a hurry and has just spent time looking for a parking spot. Now they want to go about their business quickly but find they cannot use the app to pay.
Pain points:
— The user blames the local council and RingGo because the process is overcomplicated
— You are assumed guilty and have to prove your innocence if you are ticketed.
— Slow response makes users feel as if RingGo want to save money by automating the system instead of having a live operator.
— Slow response times also add to the user’s frustrations leading to anxiety, and anger toward the local council and RingGo.
— Customer service cannot help with technical issues (app confirmation code) so users feel helpless.
In conclusion, the perception of RingGo is that of a corporate entity that holds the public for ransom due to its monopoly on parking fee collections. It delivers poor service because there are no negative repercussions for its sub-par app and customer service performance.
User journey map
Below is the happy path and the proposed alternate path to paying for their parking. If all goes well, the user downloads the app; registers the vehicle; registers the payment card; and then pays for parking. When things go wrong, there is now a place to record the time and place of the parking event and the option to pay later when the user is not in a stressful situation such as catching a train.
Lo-fidelity sketches
Wireframe
Opportunities
The Alternate Path not only removes the stress of not being able to pay for parking, but it also benefits the local council and Ringo by showing them as entities that have empathy toward the user. By helping solve the user issues they build trust and respect.