People like to talk about creating beautiful software. They may use words such as “elegant” to describe such software. But there is one form of beauty that doesn’t get talked about enough. That is cuteness.

Apple’s products are obviously cute. Steve Jobs was obsessed with round corners. Every iteration of macOS, iOS, etc. has made app icons cuter. Emojis have been intentionally designed to be cute. Put next to products designed by Microsoft, it obvious that Apple products are more adorable.

Nintendo has mastered this with its franchised characters. Yoshi, Kirby, and Baby Bowser are examples of this. Of course, the gameplay has to be fun. But the character design has given Nintendo’s characters lasting appeal.

I believe this is not merely a cultural trend that will fade away. There is something enduring about the appeal of cute things, as cuteness caters to our deeper instincts to nuture.