  Kawaii computing is a new term for a steadily growing body of work on the
Japanese notion of "cute" in human-computer interaction (HCI) research and
practice. Kawaii is distinguished from general notions of cute by its
experiential and culturally-sensitive nature. While it can be designed into the
appearance and behaviour of interactive agents, interfaces, and systems, kawaii
also refers to certain affective and cultural dimensions experienced by
culturally Japanese users, i.e., kawaii user experiences (UX) and mental models
of kawaii elicited by the socio-cultural context of Japan. In this scoping
review, we map out the ways in which kawaii has been explored within HCI
research and related fields as a factor of design and experience. We illuminate
theoretical and methodological gaps and opportunities for future work on kawaii
computing.
