Finding parking in large and busy parking lots leads to wasted time, congestion, and frustration for drivers. Retailers, especially high-traffic stores, suffer from reduced customer satisfaction and revenue loss due to parking inefficiency. Today, outdoor parking lots lack a real-time parking availability system. Existing solutions are costly and unsuitable for large-scale outdoor lots.

As for a potential solution, we are leaning towards a physical sensor-and-light fixture that displays information directly in the open about whether certain parking spots are free. This is in contrast with using an app or similar digital means to communicate the information, as customers indicated they would be unlikely to download such a service during interviews, and there are safety concerns with using an external device while driving. The minimum viable product would be a fully integrated physical prototype that can correctly make a binary decision on whether a spot is occupied, and display this information (for instance through a light fixture) in a way that would be visible to drivers in an outdoor parking lot. Some other key aspects include non-intrusiveness, ease of installation, and cost-effectiveness.