As we look around and consider the disruption happening on a scale never seen before, it is worthwhile reflecting on the role of technology.
It should make our lives easier, remove friction, automate repetitive tasks, and much more. However, in our quest to streamline and optimise the world around us, it is important that we don’t leave anyone behind.
This is true for all technology, and especially in the world of smart parking management systems. Technology must be inclusive, never exclusive.
While every person is different, age often affects how comfortable people are with new technology. Younger generations tend to adopt new tools quickly.
Older generations, especially those over 60, may be more hesitant, often preferring cash, paper tickets, or avoiding apps altogether.
At Parket, we saw this first hand at a parking site next to a retirement village, where many visitors were from an older demographic. It raised a big question: how do you modernise parking without leaving anyone behind?
In the era of doing away with paper waste, of removing inefficiencies in parking management and driving down upfront and ongoing costs, do we do so while excluding our parents and grandparents? Of course not.
And so, much like any other technology designed to improve life, smart parking management needs to cater to all generations.
This doesn’t mean a compromise in the intelligence or capabilities of digital solutions, it just means meeting people where they are, in a way that makes them comfortable.
Let’s unpack some of the challenges we have experienced when catering to age groups older than 60. QR codes, which may be natural to someone younger, are outside the comfort zone of many older people.
We certainly found a resistance, among older groups specifically, to downloading apps onto smartphones.
There was a discomfort with digital payment systems and an explicit preference for cash and paper transactions. And so the question arose: How do we find smarter ways to manage parking?
When the iPhone launched it was revolutionary. Think about it: At the time phones were populated with tiny keyboards and looked like little computers.
Then, out of the blue, a smart phone was born that had one button and a screen – yet it had all the functionality of its predecessors, and much more.
We needed to design the iPhone of parking kiosks – something that gave users a sense of familiarity and comfort but which radically shifted the paradigm of what is possible in terms of parking management, payment and access control. The design was informed by prioritising how simple it is for people to use every step of the way.
We needed a keyboard redesign to include letters and numbers easily, we needed a simplified first interaction through to license plate entry and we needed to do this by removing unnecessary technological barriers. It was an iterative process built on observation and adaptation.
And then a breakthrough occurred. One afternoon I witnessed a pivotal moment when a couple who were aged 75 or higher walked up to navigate the smart kiosk.
This is what happened: The husband typed in the license plate of his car with his wife’s support, who read out the plate details to him.
They followed the simple steps on the screen, paid like they would in a shop, walked to their car, made their way to the boom which recognised their number plate and opened, and off they drove.
What happened was almost magical. By creating an interface that people can recognise but which is smart, the solution is able to bring completely offline people into the digital realm.
They experienced something as simple as paying for parking, except that it happened quicker, and without a paper ticket that needed to be inserted into an antiquated exit terminal.
The exercise transformed technological intimidation into user experience, and importantly, user confidence.
While this example demonstrates how older generations need not be alienated by digital transformation that is designed to improve functionality, especially in the realm of parking management, it also opens the door to solving one of the most common challenges in all paperless, app-based transitions.
How do you change the behaviour of a cohort of customers who are used to doing something one way, but are now “expected” to do it another way?
The smart kiosks offer a gateway, a bridge as it were, between the physical world of parking kiosks and the digital realm of intelligent parking management. Once users experience the system for themselves and develop trust and confidence, incentives to bring them into an app environment are far more effective.
Inclusive design isn’t just good practice, it’s essential. When we build technology that works for everyone, we create better experiences, foster trust, and open the door to wider adoption.
The smartest solutions are the ones that don’t leave anyone behind. If we’re building for the future, let’s make sure everyone’s invited.
