SkyCash - How Zima UX&UI designed a mobile app for a transportation company
We've designed a new mobile app for over 3 million users that simplifies paying for parking in the city. The new Skycash app redefined the category by introducing a subscription model. It's not just another "payment app," but a tool that truly simplifies everyday parking with additional features.
SkyCash is a brand that has been streamlining one of the most underappreciated areas of user experience since 2010: mobile payments in the city.When you're in a hurry, on the move, you park, or buy public transportation tickets.
The SkyCash app allows you to purchase public transportation tickets, pay for parking, and travel by train, among other things, and its solutions are already used by over 3 million users.
The project underwent a comprehensive overhaul. Skycash decided to refresh its branding, change its business model, and rebuild its application.
To fulfill its promise of comfortable travel, Skycash has introduced new features, including automatic parking and saving the location of the parked vehicle.
UX & UI
Design System
Context of the project
SkyCash acquired a new investor and evolved from a parking payment application into a broader mobility solution that helps people navigate the city more easily. The brand underwent a complete redesign. The launch of the new application marked not only the release of a new product, but also the introduction of a refreshed market positioning, a new visual identity, and a range of new features.
The new SkyCash app addresses a common challenge faced by many drivers: the need to pay for parking quickly and conveniently without leaving their car or spending time searching for a parking meter. Drivers worry about receiving a fine if they forget to start a parking session, while also wanting to avoid overpaying if they forget to end it. While the previous version of the app solved the basic problem of parking payments, we saw an opportunity to create a more comprehensive tool that better supports drivers in their everyday journeys.
Our agency designed a simple and intuitive parking experience that guides users through every key stage of the process - starting a parking session, managing it while active, and ending it when they leave. As a result, the app provides greater convenience in everyday use, reduces the risk of parking fines, and helps drivers avoid unnecessary parking charges.
Project goalsProject goals
- Understand what users of similar mobility apps are willing to pay for - we conducted a competitive analysis of available features, identifying which functionalities are offered for free and which require an additional fee. This helped us uncover opportunities to create a more compelling value proposition for SkyCash users.
- Design a UX that provides peace of mind - our goal was to create an experience that gives busy drivers confidence they won't receive a parking fine while using paid parking zones. The new app also helps prevent users from forgetting about an active parking session after leaving their vehicle.
- Solve the challenge of extending parking sessions - we designed a user experience that supports the app's new smart features. Key functionalities were strategically highlighted within the interface so users could easily discover them, understand their benefits, and incorporate them naturally into their daily routines.
- Create a distinctive UI - with many parking payment apps available on the market, standing out was essential. Our challenge was to design an interface that reflects SkyCash's new value proposition: making urban travel more convenient and stress-free, regardless of the mode of transportation chosen by the user.
Design processDesign process
The design process was divided into phases:The design process was divided into phases:
- market research and understanding
- competitor analysis in Poland, as well as analogous solutions from around the world
- analysis of features for the basic and subscription versions
- UX path
- new UI
- micro-animations
- design system
The design process lasted over half a year. During weekly meetings, where we discussed the developed paths, we received feedback and project revisions. This ensured the collaboration stayed on schedule.The design process lasted over half a year. During weekly meetings, where we discussed the developed paths, we received feedback and project revisions. This ensured the collaboration proceeded according to schedule.
Parking „One click”
Drivers choose cars as their preferred mode of transportation because they provide independence from public transport schedules. This was indicated by 62% of respondents, while for 13% it is the primary reason for using a car. Other important factors include convenience and overall travel comfort.*
At the same time, parking in cities is a significant source of stress. 21% of drivers have received a fine for parking in a prohibited area, while 17% have been fined for exceeding their paid parking time. Men receive parking fines almost twice as often as women. SkyCash used these insights to make several key business decisions that had a direct impact on the product design:
- Parking through the app must be extremely convenient.
- The app should help reduce users' concerns about receiving a parking fine.
- Smart features should support users throughout their parking session, increasing their sense of control over both parking time and costs.
*Source: SkyCash research.
That is why one of the key priorities of the new app was to highlight the ability to start a parking session with a single tap through the One-Click Parking feature.
The app allows users to begin parking even if they have not yet added a payment method. The system then provides an additional five minutes to complete the payment setup, giving drivers peace of mind and reducing the risk of receiving a parking fine.
The challenge was communicating new features within the app. To address this, we utilized a format familiar from social media – reels. Each reel simply and narratively demonstrates how smart features work and how they assist users with parking.Communicating new features in the app was a challenge. To address this, we used a format familiar from social media – reels. Each reel simply and narratively demonstrates how smart features work and how they assist the user during parking.
For the SkyCash app, comfort means supporting the user during key parking moments. The app reminds you to start your parking session and also helps end it when you drive away from the spot. Additionally, it saves your vehicle's location, making it easy to find your car later.For the SkyCash app, comfort means supporting the user during key parking moments. The app reminds users to start their parking session and also helps end parking when the user leaves the spot. Additionally, it saves the vehicle's location, making it easy to find the car.
Designing a unique UI for a crowded mobility market.
There are many applications on the market that solve the same basic problem. The challenge, therefore, was not simply to enable parking payments, but to design an interface that reflects SkyCash's new value proposition: comfortable and stress-free urban mobility, regardless of the mode of transportation.
In practice, this meant moving away from thinking about the app solely as a parking payment tool and redefining it as a companion for everyday city travel.
The result is an interface that goes beyond facilitating transactions. It actively enhances users' sense of comfort, convenience, and control while navigating the city by car.
In particular, we focused In particular, we focused on the following aspects:on the following aspects:
Bottom navigation inspired by a parking meter Bottom navigation inspired by a parking meter– When designing the interface, we aimed to create a brand image that is supportive, yet friendly and accessible to a wide range of users.- Each color represents a different function in the navigation
Each color represents a different function in the navigation In the design, we use warm, bold colors that give the interface a distinctive look. These strong colors allow for clear highlighting of key services within the navigation. - Playful twistPlayful twist
The new branding draws inspiration from road signs, presenting them in a simplified manner. Geometric shapes provide the application with ample visual space. In the UI, we introduced subtle animations that emphasize the elegance of the interface and enrich user interaction, giving it a modern feel.
Visual Design
We have created a Design System, which is a collection of visual components from which the website is built. Thanks to this, we had collected in one place the standards and rules for composing subsequent views. This helped to ensure a consistent appearance of the product and became the basis of technical documentation for developers.
The design system organizes all interface elements: colors, typography, components, interaction states, and the rules for their use. This ensures the design remains visually and functionally consistent, allowing the design and development team to more quickly develop new application features without having to design everything from scratch.
WCAGFinal UI Design
In the context of an application often used 'on the go,' accessibility also becomes a safety feature — the user must be able to quickly understand the interface and perform a key action without the risk of error. Very diverse groups of users will use the application — including seniors and people with visual impairments — and each of these user groups will be in traffic or direct sunlight.
Therefore, each path is designed to meet the requirements of the documents:
Therefore, each user journey is designed to meet the requirements of the following documents:
Zima helped us with the new mobile application. The team delivered mockups, prototypes, final UI files, and WCAG documentation. The Zima team also introduced improvements to our B2B panel project. We found them through recommendations. We decided to collaborate due to their work model, the quality of previous projects, and Ilona's reliable personality.
Our team worked in a design model
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