Research
Through several months of research and numerous research methods, we deeply immersed ourselves into the world of SFRPD and identified key problems affecting both park goers and staff.
60+
user interviews
5
staff interviews
50+
survey responses
4900
emails analyzed
800
phone calls analyzed
SF Park Reservation Ecosystem
A complex, multi-platform system helping residents across the city reserve parks, fields, and community spaces—with usability challenges that shaped our redesign approach.
220+
PARKS & OPEN SPACES
70K
ANNUAL RESERVATIONS
4
MAIN CHANNELS
The Users
Diverse community members including families planning picnics, school staff organizing events, sports coaches booking fields, and event planners coordinating large gatherings.
The System
A multi-platform ecosystem including the SFRPD website (CivicPlus), third-party platforms (ActiveCommunities, Formsite, Rec.us), phone support, and email communications.
The Evolution
Transitioned from a phone-heavy system ("constantly ringing phones") to online platforms post-2019, significantly reducing call volume but creating new usability challenges.
Initial Challenge
Despite SFRPD's efforts to modernize their services, fundamental usability barriers were preventing users from successfully navigating the reservation system independently. The impact was measurable: in 2023 alone, staff handled 13,000 phone calls and 5,000 emails from users who couldn't complete their tasks online.
🛑 The Problem
Users struggled to find basic information on the website, couldn't easily determine which facilities met their needs, and faced a fragmented experience across multiple reservation platforms.
⚠️ The Impact
System limitations increased demand for staff assistance, which in turn strained resources. The result was a reservation ecosystem that worked against both user needs and operational efficiency.
🎯 Our Mission
Improve the experience that members of the public have with reserving SFRPD facilities while reducing service delivery costs and ensuring equitable access to San Francisco's public spaces.
Process
Click on each card to learn more about our research methods and findings.
Staff Interviews
5 in-depth interviews with SFRPD staff to understand operational challenges and system limitations.
Call Log Data Analysis
Analysis of 800 phone calls to identify common user issues and support patterns.
Email Data Analysis
Review of 4900 emails to understand user pain points and frequently asked questions.
Audit of Current Reservation Flow
Comprehensive evaluation of the existing reservation system and user journey.
Competitor Analysis
Analysis of 8 competitor and analogous domain solutions to identify best practices.
Analogous Domain Research
Research into similar reservation systems across different industries and contexts.
Research on Current Vendors
Evaluation of existing third-party platforms and their integration challenges.
User Questionnaire
50+ survey responses providing quantitative data on user preferences and behaviors.
Insights
Key insights that emerged from our research and shaped our design direction.
When systems are invisible, so are the expectations for using them.
Users don’t know what’s expected of them unless the system sets clear affordances or cues for behavior.
Poor discoverability kills credibility.
If users can’t find what they need easily, they lose trust in the system or abandon it entirely.
A good system doesn’t just show options — it guides users to the right one.
Interfaces should help users make confident decisions by clearly surfacing the best option for their goal.
Staff are forced to manually fill gaps in an incomplete service experience.
Due to fragmented tools, staff often intervene to help users navigate confusion, increasing their burden.
Access to a public space shouldn’t require privileged knowledge.
Systems should be usable without prior insider knowledge, language fluency, or technical literacy.
How Might We
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01
How might we make it easier for residents to discover, understand, and confidently navigate the reservation system – even if they don't know where to start?
-
02
How might we reduce the burden on staff by streamlining repetitive processes?
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03
How might we improve access and equity for users with different levels of time, technical fluency, or familiarity?