Ford GoPark 
‍Transforming Residential Parking in Cities Through Empathy and Innovation

Overview 
In modern bustling cities, parking is a puzzle, often causing distress for drivers. Recognising this, Ford ventured beyond automobiles, aiming to alleviate parking woes through the innovative GoPark service and app. As part of Ford’s suite of over 25 worldwide “experiments”, this ambitious project wasn't just about easing parking; it was about transforming urban mobility and looking at the challenges a future autonomous fleet might present.

The challenge - Deciphering the Urban Parking Conundrum
Parking in a district like Islington in London is a dual-edged sword: locating a spot and deciphering the local parking regulations. Collaborating with Ford, LiveWork Studio, and the London borough of Islington, our challenge was immense.

We needed to untangle the complexities of urban parking, making it an intuitive experience, all while ingraining crucial user-centric principles into the service design.

Approach - Empathetic Design Through Real-World Insights Grounded in empathy, our strategy began with understanding the human stories behind the challenge. We illuminated city dwellers ' real-life struggles through resident interviews, ride-alongs, and community workshops, shaping our experience principles. Embracing rapid experimentation and prototyping, we brought immediate, tangible visions to the problem, using interactive web prototypes and exploratory mapping solutions in actual urban scenarios.

Dissecting residents' car usage and parking behaviours into distinct profiles - illustrating a spectrum from luxury-driven ownership to practical commuting needs, and from informed, proactive planning to reactive, stress-induced decision-making. These personas encapsulate the varied motivations and psychological approaches that influence residents' parking choices.

Leadership Across Frontiers - Guiding Innovation with a Holistic Vision
As the Creative Director (CD), I navigated all project facets, ensuring the design's integrity remained uncompromised throughout various stages. Beyond traditional leadership, I facilitated new processes and roles within the team, optimising efficiency and elevating the project's analytical depth through avenues like automated testing and advanced data analytics roles.

RHS product information page on the App Store

Outcomes - From Local Solution to UrbanPhenomenon
GoPark transcended its initial scope, becoming an indispensable tool for Islington's resident drivers. The journey from ideation to borough-wide adoption underscores the project's success, marked by user acquisition and a notable reduction in driver frustration.

Out of thirty major mobility "Experiments" by Ford, GoPark uniquely surpassed its initial timeline, spanning over three years. All other projects concluded much sooner.

4500

Users during a “small scale” experiment

20%

Monthly growth

London boroughs in extended scheme

Personal reflection - Enhancing City Living
This project was a testament to the power of user-centred design, proving that when we solve for human needs, technological solutions can indeed better our everyday lives. It reaffirmed my belief in empathetic design and cross-disciplinary collaboration, where every voice, whether it's from a data scientist or a daily commuter, contributes to creating impactful, lasting solutions.

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