Psychological Stress and Mental Load in Urban Parking: An Optimized Guidance System Design to Mitigate User Emotional Fatigue
Qing Jiang, Jingran MiaoAbstract
Objective
This study investigates the psychological stress and mental load caused by parking space search difficulties in urban environments, and develops an optimized parking guidance system to alleviate emotional fatigue while improving parking efficiency and user experience.
Subjects and Methods
A comprehensive study was conducted with 450 urban drivers using a mixed-methods approach. The research combined real-time parking behavior observation, physiological monitoring (heart rate variability, galvanic skin response), and psychological assessments using the Urban Parking Stress Scale (UPSS) and NASA-TLX mental load questionnaire. A novel parking guidance system incorporating real-time availability prediction, intelligent routing, and user-friendly interface design was developed and tested in various urban scenarios.
Results
The study revealed that parking search difficulties led to a 42% increase in psychological stress levels and 38% higher mental load. The optimized guidance system reduced average search time by 15 minutes (47% decrease) and lowered stress indicators by 53%. Physiological data showed significant improvements in heart rate variability (p < 0.01) and skin conductance response (p < 0.05). User satisfaction scores increased by 61%, with 85% of participants reporting reduced driving anxiety and improved emotional state.
Conclusions
The optimized parking guidance system effectively addresses the psychological impact of parking difficulties by significantly reducing emotional fatigue and mental load. These findings emphasize the importance of incorporating psychological considerations into urban transportation infrastructure design to promote driver well-being and sustainable urban mobility.
Corresponding Author
Qing Jiang, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huai’an, 223003, China.