Simplify to succeed: PayStay

The redesigned zone details: Lonsdale Street’s kerbs coloured by availability, and a bottom sheet showing the 2P limit, $7 hourly rate, paid hours, a parking trends chart and a Start parking here button The redesigned parking session screen: a bottom sheet over the map reading You’re parked on Lonsdale Street, with a 1:59:42 countdown, an expiry time of 3:41 pm, and Extend time and End session buttons
The challenge

PayStay is the principal mobile payment method for street parking in Victoria. It spreads from the core of Melbourne's CBD right through to the border town of Albury, with more locations constantly being added and authorised.

PayStay users were having trouble understanding and using the Maps function within the app.

The process

Over the period of a week, I followed best-practice design principles and methodology:

  • Tested existing designs, helping to identify key issues within functionality
  • Conducted contextual market research and design analysis
  • Interviewed users to understand their behaviours, and how a solution might affect them
  • Created and tested a solution to gauge usability and feasibility
Insights
  • People like to plan ahead when it comes to parking.
  • People with parking "spots" they're familiar with return to them frequently.
  • Even so, they still needed flexibility, for the unforeseen.

But the key insight was…

People were unsure where to find the information they were looking for.

The solution

Heuristic analysis showed the information users were seeking already existed. The solution took that existing information and presented it in a more recognisable format.

Revisited in 2026 with an updated visual design.

The redesigned PayStay map screen in an iPhone, with a button to try the clickable Figma prototype
The outcome

Reduced the time it took all test users to find the information they were seeking, including bay availability and trends, metered times, the cost of parking and bay information.

Next: Shine a Light →