In one of the previous exercises, I have discussed finding
parking on or near campus. Many students struggle to find accessible parking
near their dorms, classes, gyms, etc. Even students that have bought decals to
park on campus struggle to find parking. These decals are only really helpful
during the day; once restricted parking is lifted at 4:30 PM, off-campus
students and visitors can park. From the students, I interviewed in assignment
3, parking is the hardest to find beginning in the evening and lasts until the
morning. Students search for thirty to forty-five minutes for a place to park.
If students do find parking, they are far from where they need to be. I
remember when I used to live in Beaty Towers, my roommates and I were sometimes
forced to park as far as the commuter lot and walk back to our dorm or take a
snap. Students that live on campus are frustrated because they purchased a
decal and still can’t find parking. Off-campus students are frustrated because
they can’t park on campus until 4:30 and then always can’t find a place to
park.
The product that I would provide is an app that indicates
where there are available parking spots in the area they are looking for, and
when these spots usually begin to fill up. As mentioned previously, there are
certain times during the day that parking is worst. Knowing during what hours
traffic on campus is the highest will allow students to leave earlier in hopes
of getting a spot before the masses arrive. In addition, telling students where free parking will allow them to cut down their usual search time hopefully. There also could be a feature that notifies students of new parking spots available once they become free. I realize that since I am targeting this app towards college students, I couldn’t charge them for the usage of the app. One way I could make an income is by selling ad space but I am still looking for a more lucrative way to make money.
Hello Taylor, this is definitely a huge problem that is seen not only at UF, but other schools as well. I personally did not take a vehicle to school, but my sister who goes to another University in Southern Florida complains about this very issue all the time. The app you have come up with would definitely aid in the parking process as it will allow for more organization and awareness of spots. Using ads in order to fund the app is definitely your best bet. That being said, I definitely think that even with the app, the biggest issue is that there just aren’t enough parking spots available.
ReplyDeleteHi Taylor,
ReplyDeleteI think you have a great idea and have put a lot of thought into a major problem that students face all over the world. This app is easy to use and accessible for most college students. I have taken the bus instead of my car for the past two years because of parking problems. I think selling ad space is also a great way to promote your app and fund it. I hope you continue to build on this idea and make it into a reality.
Hey Taylor,
ReplyDeleteI said it once in one of your previous posts and I will say it again, I think this is a fantastic idea. Parking seems to be an increasingly pressing issue from year to year, as the parking situation becomes worse and worse every. It would save so much time and would make parking lots less chaotic and save people a lot of stress. At first, the app could be funded by apps and eventually bought and implemented by the universities themselves.