"The only intuitive interface is the nipple" (2012)

"The only intuitive interface is the nipple" (2012)(greenend.org.uk)

15 points by ibobev 1 hour ago | 16 comments

beloch 48 minutes ago |

I remember hearing this quote from a HCI prof in the late 90's. I repeated this to a person who was in nursing, and they replied that helping babies figure out nipples (i.e. "latching") is actually a common problem for new mothers[1].

It's worth considering that survivor bias plays a role in the perceived intuitiveness of nipples.

___________

[1]https://breastfeeding.support/when-baby-wont-breastfeed/

gregw2 33 minutes ago |

Yeah, this is one of those quotes that is cute/clever... until you have kids and learn or experience how common 'latching' problems are.

It's pretty distressing to watch the desperation and the struggle of a baby screaming and a mom trying but unable to feed her baby.

Then the quote sort of turns from clever into a sign of a bit of real-life ignorance.

stvltvs 25 minutes ago | |

There's a deeply ingrained mythos around how natural and easy motherhood is, but in nature, a lot of first time mothers are rather mediocre. It takes a while learn how to do all those "natural" things like nursing the baby.

And let's not forget that babies kinda suck (intended) at doing "natural" things too.

OroPla 17 minutes ago | | |

It used to be that people had between six and twelve children, so all children grew up among babies learning this crucial knowledge from their parents and younger siblings. They'd end up having children within a few years of moving out, too, so there was no forgetting about it, either.

dang 58 minutes ago |

One past thread - I dare not look for others:

Is it true that “the only ”intuitive“ interface is the nipple”? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4412372 - Aug 2012 (23 comments)

JohnFen 21 minutes ago |

What's "intuitive" really just boils down to "what you're used to".

An intuitive user interface is one that leverages patterns the user has already internalized. That's why there is no single user interface that is intuitive for everybody.

waterheater 36 minutes ago |

As a dad, I think nipple detection is hardwired, but latching might take some work. Two additional considerations are user interface scaling and whether or not the backend is online.

Breast Tech (Boob Tech? Breast-Computer Interface?) is amazing. We now have wireless, heated, smart breast pumps (https://www.eufy.com/collections/breast-pump), which women from days of yore (aka 25 years ago) could have only dreamed.

snarky-comments 50 minutes ago |

This might nicely augment the usual keyboard + mouse UI.

motionlessveloc 16 minutes ago | |

The IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad has featured a "nipple" for ages. It responds better to manual stimulation than sucking though.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_stick

mcphage 50 minutes ago |

This was something that I believed until I had kids. It turns out, even the nipple isn't fully intuitive—some babies struggle to breastfeed, and have to be taught how to do it properly.

copperx 46 minutes ago | |

But for some, it is.

JohnFen 30 minutes ago | | |

Babies have a reflex (not even an instinct) to do it, but that reflex only works well if conditions are pretty close to ideal. Outside of the sweet spot, there can be all sorts of difficulties. That's the nature of reflexes.

Using a nipple isn't really intuitive. It's learned.

deadbabe 29 minutes ago |

It is definitely not the only intuitive interface if you’re talking about bodies.

gdubicki 1 hour ago |

So, also the TrackPoint.

sublinear 45 minutes ago |

What's considered intuitive isn't intrinsic to the design. It's always relative to the previous preferred design, and there is no known base case to anchor onto.

The nipple comes well after lots of crying and grasping for other things, but why would first experiences have anything to do with best experiences anyway?

I think most designers are deeply aware of this already, so why do we keep talking about design this way?