5.3. ‘Cuteness’
Papanek (1995) points out that the composition of child physiognomy induces a feeling of warmth and protectiveness in humans. The power of a baby’s smile offering us instant and unconditional ‘happiness’, as well as the strength to go on in life, is reinforced by Dissanayake (1988). Variations in proportions and roundness in forms contribute to the visual perceived 'age' of products (Figure 3). ‘Cuteness’ is the resulting attribute that seems to evoke ‘happiness’ and the feeling of protection (Figure 4), and that has been widely used in product design.
Therefore, the expressive aspects of human postures, gestures, and facial expressions may be used in equivalence as a semantic resource. We intuitively understand the expressive language of the human body (e.g. facial expression, posture, and gesture). We can tell how someone is feeling by how they carry themselves (Griffin 1999), their body posture, and their facial expressions. Providing a familiar experience in a product will allow a truly intuitive interface with the user (IBM 2000).