What the study covers
Damn Parking proposes using existing cameras and computer vision to estimate campus parking availability. This packet classifies alternatives, lists six assumptions to test (A-01 through A-06), and logs interview evidence. Those assumptions are research questions, not validated findings, and they do not update the separate Sprint 2 assumption register.
Landscape
- ParkMobile: provisional indirect alternative. Interviews show payment use, not live campus availability. Local space-finding features still need testing.
- Miner Metro: indirect. Some students use the shuttle partly because of parking, and permit cost can be the main reason.
- Arriving early and circling: status-quo alternatives. No direct competitor is confirmed.
Evidence so far
The plan calls for eight interviews, about 15 minutes each, and three competitor tests. Six completed interviews support the current analysis. The other records, participant-eligibility checks, notes permission for two interviews, and competitor teardown records are still open. The sample cannot establish campus-wide demand.
Reported behavior includes parking delays that pushed one student to a remote permit and shuttle, earlier arrival after a full preferred lot, and short searches in a familiar lot. ParkMobile examples describe downtown and San Francisco payment, not UTEP search times. Future preferences are opinions, not proof that someone will adopt Damn Parking or pay for it.
Planning decision
The team narrows the initial focus to campus drivers who regularly struggle to find parking. That changes the research focus. It does not change project scope, cost, or schedule. Sprint 2 figures stay in place: 340 to 680 team hours, 538 expected, at $60 per hour, for an expected labor cost of $32,280, excluding operating costs. Whether these drivers will use Damn Parking or save time is still untested.
Two candidate risks are tracked: existing routines may limit use (CR-01, Saul Burns), and the selected users may not need parking information (CR-02, Joe Mota). Neither risk has a measured likelihood.
Document Competitor Field Research