(Obligatory: https://xkcd.com/243/ )
Is it true that “the only ”intuitive“ interface is the nipple”? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4412372 - Aug 2012 (23 comments)
Apparently the intended use is not as intuitive as the engineers had hoped.
Intended use is really not intuitive.
Using a nipple isn't really intuitive. It's learned.
Generally, you can break things down to three categories.
There are reflexes, which are when your body reacts to something without your brain needing to be involved. The latching reflex in babies, for example, or the patellar reflex (tapping the knee to make the leg jerk).
Then there are instincts. Instincts involve the brain, and so generally don't appear in human infants immediately. Instincts are like pre-written scripts encoded in us, but require a level of development before those scripts can be executed.
Then there are learned behaviors. Things that are "intuitive" fall into this category. Something is intuitive if a behavior you already know well can be applied the activity.
Reproduction is instinctive (and it's an instinct that, in humans, doesn't really show up until much closer to sexual maturity). It's not intuitive. If you've never been exposed to or taught how to have sex, you'll still feel the desire and be able to do it. Maybe not well, but you can get the job done.
It's worth considering that survivor bias plays a role in the perceived intuitiveness of nipples.
___________
In my experience, weekly trips to the lactation consultant had no effect except for a growing sense of shame.
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?
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.
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.
And let's not forget that babies kinda suck (intended) at doing "natural" things too.
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.
Sure, selective breeding accounts for part of it, but so does the reality that evolution has tended to select (for many prey animals) for the ability to survive and reproduce a lot, not necessarily the ability to be a good parent.
Unfortunately, since she wouldn't protect it, something seemingly snatched it up in the night and we didn't see it again. It was really depressing.
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.
In any case, with billions of humans throughout history, I don’t doubt it’s possible. Crazier shit has happened. But it also rings like a tall tale of the medical field. But hey, I’m not saying it’s impossible.
In any case, it’s obviously not the norm lol
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.
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