Parking & Pets 



The Challenge


Eden customers loved our desk and room reservation features but needed more. Customer interviews revealed two critical gaps: pet reservations (buildings had limits on pets allowed simultaneously) and parking reservations (both assigned spots and first-come-first-serve).

The challenge wasn't just adding new reservation types—it was designing for pooled resources where users book "a spot" rather than "spot #5," something our existing map-based system couldn't handle.

July 2022
Figma

Web • Web Mobile • iOS/Android App



Research & Discovery


  • Customer Interviews: Revealed the need for pooled reservations and multiple parking lot scenarios.
  • Competitive Analysis: No competing workplace management products offered this functionality.
  • Technical Feasibility: Weekly design reviews with engineering were used to validate design & database requirements.

Initial Vision vs Final Design
User interviewees specifically requested a standalone “Reservables” system: a new feature that would allow admins to create flows to reserve parking, pets, equipment, vehicles, and more. Through design iteration and engineering discussions, we paired down the scope to an MVP focused on our most requested use cases: parking and pet reservations. 

My biggest design decision was to pivot away from a standalone feature to an integrated add-on to the desk reservation experience. The key insight? Users would never make a parking or pet reservation without coming into the office, so serving a prompt to add parking or pets to a reservation creates a seamless, contextual experience that reduces cognitive load and eliminates the need for users to navigate multiple booking flows.


Design Evolution



Iteration 1: Timeline
I started with a timeline view that allowed users to reserve certain parking spots and see other reservations.

Key Features
  • Timeline blocks allow users to see when spots will become available during the day
  • Dropdown to select a lot
  • Button to view the map


Problems identified:
  • Parking will almost always be all-day, no need for hourly information in MVP
The timeline reservation view

Choosing a spot leads to a reservation form.


Iteration 2: Map View
Next, I designed a view with a map pattern similar to our desk/room reservation feature.

Problems identified:
  • Didn't visually support pooled reservations 
  • Technical complexity too high for MVP
  • Need for multiple parking lots created confusing map hierarchy


Final Design: Smart Form
The design evolved into a smart form that would be added to the end of the desk reservation experience. 

Key Features
  • Integrated prompt at end of desk reservation flow
  • Smart conditional form that handles pooled vs. assigned parking, persistent form data, and map view
  • Multi-state design system to handle enterprises reserving for parking, pets, or both
  • Custom icons

Problems Solved
  • Eliminated need for separate booking flows
  • Handled pooled reservations where map-based systems failed
  • Reduced technical complexity while maintaining full functionality


At the desk reservation confirmation screen, the user is prompted to add parking or a  pet to their reservation.

The smart form would promt the users to fill out information about their car/pet. This form had functionality to view the map, choose multiple lots, and provide information on parking policy.



The Add-On Innovation


The most strategic design decision was reimagining this as an add-on rather than the requested standalone feature.

Why this mattered:
  • Reduced user cognitive load (one booking flow instead of multiple)
  • Simplified technical implementation
  • Aligned with actual user behavior


Handling Complexity


Multi-State Design System

Due to enterprises needing options for parking or pets, as well as pooled or assigned parking, I needed to create a design system to account for every situation.

Designed for every scenario:
  • Assigned parking vs. pooled parking
  • Pet reservations vs. parking vs. both
  • Available spots vs. full capacity
  • Multiple parking lots

Admin Setup

Created intuitive setup flows allowing administrators to:
  • See all reservations and their add-ons
  • Configure parking lot size and pet limits
  • Define specific spot assignments
  • Add map images

Mobile Adaptation

Maintained full functionality on mobile with:
  • Condensed form layouts
  • Touch-optimized interactions
  • Custom iconography matching Eden's design system


Impact & Results


Internal Stakeholder Feedback:
  • Product Managers: The user flow consideration for edge cases shows strong product thinking
  • Designers: Love how you maintained design system consistency while introducing new patterns
  • Engineering: The scoped approach made this technically feasible as an MVP

Design Innovation:
  • First Eden tool to handle pooled reservations
  • Strategic pivot that aligned feature with user behavior
  • Scalable foundation for future "reservable" expansion


Reflection


I had a ton of fun working on this project, there were a lot of unexpected design challenges regarding the multi-state design, as well as a big “aha” moment when we realized what users ask for is not always what will work best for them. 

If I had a few more weeks to work on this project, I’d expand the MVP to include:
  • A waitlist functionality to handle max capacity/no-shows
  • Designs for integration with 3rd party calendars like Google Calendar and Outlook
  • Social aspect that can announce who is bringing in a pet on a certain day

Sometimes the best solution challenges our original beliefs.