"The only intuitive interface is the nipple" (2012) (greenend.org.uk)
21 points by ibobev 2 hours ago
beloch 2 hours 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.
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random3 a few seconds ago
came here to say the same :) if nipples would be intuitive there wouldn't be an entire business of lactation consultants
gregw2 2 hours 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 an hour 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.
HeyLaughingBoy 5 minutes ago
> lot of first time mothers are rather mediocre
I had a hen who was sitting on a clutch of eggs this summer. Did everything right: kept them warm, turned them regularly, etc.
Then one hatched and she promptly lost interest in the rest, leaving them to die.
OroPla an hour 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.
talon8635 44 minutes ago
Yup. Horny teens can figure out their genitalia combo much easier than many infants figure out latching
tezza 4 minutes ago
Baby can be ALLERGIC to the mother’s breast milk
Baby can have unfixable latching problems (as commented elsewhere)
Breasts may not produce enough milk even with pumping
Nipples and Breasts can get infected and seriously endanger the mother
JohnFen an hour 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.
dang 2 hours 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)
waterheater 2 hours 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 2 hours ago
This might nicely augment the usual keyboard + mouse UI.
motionlessveloc an hour ago
The IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad has featured a "nipple" for ages. It responds better to manual stimulation than sucking though.
delichon 35 minutes ago
> It responds better to manual stimulation than sucking though.
Apparently the intended use is not as intuitive as the engineers had hoped.
joshdavham an hour ago
But what about male nipples?
mcphage 2 hours 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 2 hours ago
But for some, it is.
JohnFen an hour 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.
copperx an hour ago
deadbabe an hour ago
It is definitely not the only intuitive interface if you’re talking about bodies.
gdubicki 2 hours ago
So, also the TrackPoint.
sublinear 2 hours 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?
animitronix 31 minutes ago
Eh, there's a difference between intuitive and instinctive
ekjhgkejhgk an hour ago
I think the pussy is more intuitive.