This case study shows how A Stronger Idea Design led senior UX and product design to improve usability, operational clarity, and adoption for a large-scale municipal parking platform.
Park Detroit supports a complex municipal parking ecosystem serving residents, visitors, and city operations at scale. The platform needed to accommodate multiple user types, strict regulatory constraints, and real-time operational requirements in a high-visibility public environment.
Existing experiences created friction for both drivers and city operators, making it difficult to understand parking rules, manage sessions, and maintain operational clarity. The challenge was to modernize the experience while preserving reliability, trust, and continuity across critical city infrastructure.
A Stronger Idea Design led UX and product design across the engagement, providing senior design leadership from discovery through execution.
The work included experience strategy, interaction design, operational alignment, and close collaboration with product, engineering, and municipal stakeholders to ensure solutions were usable, scalable, and viable within real-world constraints.
The engagement resulted in measurable improvements to both user experience and operational clarity.
Key outcomes included:
A modern, unified mobility experience that boosts economic impact, enhances urban exploration, and makes parking effortless for everyone.
ParkDetroit empowers users to find open spaces quickly, with real-time visibility into parking availability and current rates. By integrating live data directly into the app interface, we eliminated the guesswork and frustration of circling city blocks. The result: a smoother parking experience that supports downtown access and boosts user satisfaction.
Beyond simply finding a spot, ParkDetroit helps users plan their entire downtown experience. From browsing off-street parking rates and viewing lot photos to reserving a space in advance, the app removes uncertainty from the equation. Users can even purchase event tickets and secure nearby parking in one seamless flow—reducing stress and improving access for locals, commuters, and visitors alike.
ParkDetroit streamlines the entire journey—from planning to parking. Users can explore venues, browse upcoming events, and view key details, all within the app. Once plans are made, reserving a nearby parking spot is effortless. Digital passes and QR codes simplify access, turning what used to be a multi-step process into a unified, intuitive experience that saves time and reduces friction.
ParkDetroit brings modern convenience to city parking with QR code access for off-street reservations and event entries. Once a user reserves a spot, their digital pass—with embedded QR—can be scanned for instant entry and exit. Passes can be saved to Apple Wallet or Google Pay for added ease, creating a seamless bridge between mobile planning and real-world access. It's fast, secure, and built for how people move today.
ParkDetroit goes beyond parking—it opens up the city. With integrated maps, directions, and detailed venue information, users are encouraged to explore more of what downtown Detroit has to offer. Whether planning a night out or discovering something new, the app connects people to places in a way that feels natural, useful, and rewarding—for both users and local businesses.
The redesigned ParkDetroit app delivered measurable success:
By delivering a streamlined, intelligent parking solution, A Stronger Idea + Flowbird and the City of Detroit successfully enhanced urban mobility, supported local businesses, and positioned ParkDetroit as a best-in-class parking app.
