Disappointed by design

Strollers, car seats and carriers

They made it look easy

The videos on their website.

The in-store clerks who demo it for you.

The massive quantities of near-5-star reviews.

Then I tried it all

No instructions.

No assistance.

No prior knowledge.

Could I — a designer and soon-to-be first-time father — ‘figure things out’?

Sadly, no.

Where are the buttons to fold, extend, brake, release, detach, convert, transform?

Even when I thought I found them, my natural instincts lent nothing towards making anything I wanted happen

The more expensive things got, the harder it felt to operate each product.

How did nothing appear to pass the ultimate, ‘non-sober, single mother late on Christmas eve’ test of ease of difficulty regarding product assembly and operation?

Sadly, it felt like no one at these companies read this seminal product design book, ‘The design of everyday things’.

Except one.

I spent hours in stores and researching online.

I drove across the state to get hands-on experience in several boutique shops where the strollers I sought were sold.

Finally, in the last store I visited, I was shown a stroller and car seat that met my expectations.

I ordered the Nuna Mixx stroller and its companion car seat Pipa lite lx.