DALLAS, TX -- Parking BOXX, North American-based parking systems manufacturer, announced at the International Parking Institute (IPI) Conference & Expo that a case study is being conducted to better understand how Seniors perceive and use parking systems.   The goal of the study is to improve usability of Hospital Parking Systems for Seniors (65+) by addressing the unique challenges that this demographic encounters when interacting with technology.

Interestingly, when asked the most important factor affecting first impression of a hospital, Seniors ranked Parking second.  Hospital Lobby ranked first, while Building Exterior and Grounds ranked third and fourth respectively.

According to surveyed Seniors:

· 76% have paid for parking at a hospital or medical facility.

· 65% have paid for parking at a machine.

· 46% find paying for parking at a machine confusing or somewhat confusing.

· Although only 27% of Seniors have ever used a "Call for Assistance" button, 81% prefer to have a "Call for Assistance" button at a parking machine.

· 97% of Seniors feel that rusted or run-down parking equipment creates a negative impression.

· 46% of Seniors would prefer to wait in line to pay a cashier/human, rather than pay at a machine with no line.

Research indicates that Seniors experience physical and cognitive challenges, as well as visual and hearing impairments, that may affect their ability to properly use technology products, particularly in human-machine interactions such as parking systems.  To better understand these interactions, this study will continue with qualitative analysis to determine which aspects of the technology are difficult for Seniors due to these challenges and how to address those items.

"Ensuring that parking systems are user friendly and intuitive for Seniors is important because the hospital patient demographic has a high percentage of Seniors.  For example, Seniors in Canada have accounted for 68% of hospital discharges, which is nearly 5 times more than the percentage of Seniors in the general population.  The best way to improve satisfaction with parking systems is to give Seniors a voice in the design process," said Aaron Asp, President & CEO at Parking BOXX.

Over the next 30 years, the number of Americans 65 and older will double to over 80 million.  In Canada, Seniors are the fastest growing age group; by 2036 they are expected to represent between 23% and 25% of the total population.

To learn more about this case study visit us on-line www.parkingboxx.com/hospital_study.html, email info(at)parkingboxx(dot)com, or call us at 800-518-1230.

About Parking BOXX. Parking BOXX is a North American-based parking systems manufacturer with over 50 years of experience in manufacturing parking equipment and providing parking system solutions.  Parking BOXX offers secure Machine to Machine Software-as-a-Service (M2M SaaS) that performs real-time aggregation of data from business applications, sensors and components into a single view. Parking solutions from Parking BOXX play a key role in the secure management of these assets and services, particularly for the purpose of evaluating data to enhance business decision making and revenue generation.

For more information on how Parking BOXX can help meet your parking lot equipment and software needs, please visit www.parkingboxx.com, call 800-518-1230 or email info(at)parkingboxx(dot)com.