My favorite product is my
son’s umbrella stroller. Do you know what I’m talking about? It’s a baby stroller but in its bare
minimal form. Only a few rods with
just enough fabric to sit on--almost like a tiny hammock on wheels. When you
are not using it, you fold it like an old-school umbrella into a
long stick. Completely out of mind.
I bought my son's umbrella stroller for 20 bucks. Our other stroller was almost $400. In a time when fashionable strollers seem to be modeled after bulky SUVs or expensive but sterile Scandinavian furniture, the umbrella stroller feels so raw. It is countercultural for our time--it almost makes me feel revolutionary. It's like a 1960s roadster--compact and light; stiff and so close to the ground you can feel the road come alive; the wind blowing through my toddler son's hair. Nothing more, nothing less than what we need. In a way, that makes me feel free.
The simple yet effective combination of design, engineering, and laser-focus on essential user needs amazes me. Clearly, a leader brought a team together where everyone agreed to believe that the customer is the ultimate boss. That leader helped everyone see that having better customer insights than the competition is the first step, and delighting the customer is the ultimate goal. And everyone aligned behind the customer.
Am I advocating we ask the customer to tell us what to build? Or to design and engineer blindly following surveys? Absolutely not. I’m advocating teams become customer obsessed. Obsessed in understanding their customers better than they understand themselves, and obsessed with making them feel a company out there gets them, really gets them—their needs, lifestyle, and aspirations.
Just this week, we were on quiet Latham road in Mountain View—my son, me, and the umbrella stroller. I feel like there's nothing between my son and the thousand stimuli around him. His focus shifts from the bushes on neighbors' gardens, to the squirrels, to the birds, to the wind chime home made from shiny metal junk. Eventually we arrive to his final treat, the house with the baby bunnies on the front yard. The innocent grin is slowly sneaking into his face--he is not even aware of it at first... he can't resist it now. Daddy's beaming inside. I notice a big grin has been on my face for a while.
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