Assessing Student Demand for a Community- Driven Real-Time Parking Application at Kean University

Alessia Paredes

Co-Presenters: Angel Bermudez, Yadira Bravo, Edith Gudiel, Joseph Velazquez

College: College of Business and Public Management

Major: BS.MARKETING

Faculty Research Mentor: Kyung Lee

Abstract:

Parking availability remains a recurring pain point for college students, influencing campus
satisfaction, time management, and overall university experience. At Kean University,
students frequently report difficulty locating open parking spaces during peak hours,
resulting in frustration, lateness, and traffic congestion. Despite widespread smartphone
usage, there is currently no centralized, real-time system that provides students with
accurate parking availability information. This gap presents a potential opportunity for a
market-driven technological solution.
The purpose of this marketing research study is to evaluate student demand, perceived
value, and adoption likelihood for a proposed community-driven parking application,
KeanPark. The app concept relies on user participation, allowing students to check in when
they park and check out when they leave, thereby generating crowd-sourced, real-time
occupancy data for campus parking lots. Additional features, such as live confirmation
notifications and a “Find My Car” function, are intended to enhance usability and increase
engagement.
A quantitative survey methodology will be employed to collect data from a diverse sample
of Kean University students. The survey will measure parking satisfaction levels, frequency
of parking-related challenges, willingness to use a community-based app, perceived
usefulness of specific features, and likelihood of recommending the app to peers.
Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis will be used to identify key drivers of
adoption and assess overall market potential.
The findings of this study will provide actionable insights regarding product feasibility,
target segmentation, value proposition refinement, and projected user adoption. This
research contributes to marketing strategy development by applying consumer behavior
analysis to a campus-based service innovation.
Keywords
Campus Parking, Marketing Research, Consumer Behavior, Mobile Application Adoption,
Crowd-Sourced Data