It was a solved problem long before smart phones.
Technology is supposed to improve the experience not make it worse.
The design choices added more friction than walking past a "pay and display" machine.
The design choices added more friction than displaying a monthly/anual pass that you purchase for regular parking at places like universities.
The design choices added more friction than driving through a boom gate with camera recording license plate, and auto charging you on the exit or taking payment at exit.
You now need your phone with you, fully charged, to complete a transaction for what used to be a quick, simple process for at least 50 years.
Making a proper app for it makes it not take those 10 steps.
> The design choices added more friction than driving through a boom gate with camera recording license plate, and auto charging you on the exit or taking payment at exit.
The one instance of this I have seen used an app to connect your licence plate to your payment method.
> You now need your phone with you, fully charged, to complete a transaction for what used to be a quick, simple process for at least 50 years.
With a proper app, it’s a quick, simple process if you have a phone that is just “not completely discharged”, no need for it to be fully charged.
Except saving that to the Home Screen isn’t the same user experience as downloading an app via an qr code, and you’ll be expecting some pretty technically incompetent people to be using the parking space.
But I do agree with your general point about the UX inside the (web|mobile) app.
Yes it’s easy…if you’re technical. But most people who drive are not good with technology.