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"The only intuitive interface is the nipple" (2012)greenend.org.uk
33 points•ibobev•about 8 hours ago•36 comments•
#interface#nipple#intuitive#intuitive interface

36 comments

belochabout 7 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.

___________

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

random3about 6 hours ago
came here to say the same :) if nipples would be intuitive there wouldn't be an entire business of lactation consultants
analog31about 5 hours ago
>>> lactation consultants...

In my experience, weekly trips to the lactation consultant had no effect except for a growing sense of shame.

gregw2about 7 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.

stvltvsabout 7 hours 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.

HeyLaughingBoyabout 6 hours 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.

OroPlaabout 7 hours 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.
analog31about 5 hours ago
In addition, a lot of first time mothers died, as did their babies.
talon8635about 6 hours ago
Yup. Horny teens can figure out their genitalia combo much easier than many infants figure out latching
NoMoreNicksLeftabout 5 hours ago
I once read an account of an octogenarian woman in a nursing home. A new doctor was assigned to her. Looking over the medical records, she'd had chronic urinary infections her entire adult life, until her husband passed away. She had urinary incontinence her entire adult life. They never had any children, though not for lack of trying.

Turns out that her husband had been penetrating her urethra throughout their marriage. When the old woman was questioned about these medical issues by the doctors, she told him that though it had hurt the first time, she expected it to and never thought much of it. Nor had she connected the onset of incontinence and infections with the act.

So no, I don't think that this is necessarily true, either.

dingaling911about 6 hours ago
Story of my life.
dangabout 8 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)

JohnFenabout 7 hours 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.

waterheaterabout 7 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.

Read the full thread on Hacker News →

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