· The human mind uses the long-term memory, the short-term memory, and a controller in the internal environment in problem solving.
· Knowledge can be considered composed of chunks of information that are general, domain-specific, or procedural in content.
· The short-term memory is a small (seven chunks, features, or parameters) and fast (0.1 second) processor. Its properties determine how we solve problems. We use the external environment to augment the size of the short-term memory.
· The long-term memory is the permanent storage facility in the brain. It is slow to remember, it is fast to recall (sometimes), and it never gets full.
· Creative designers are people of average intelligence; they are visualizers, hard workers, constructive nonconformists with knowledge about the problem domain. Creativity takes hard work and can be aided by a good environment, practice, and design procedures.
· Because of the size and complexity of most products, design work is usually accomplished by teams rather than by individuals.
· Working in teams requires attention to every team member's problem-solving style (including yours)—introverted or extroverted, fact- or possibility-oriented, objective or subjective, decisive or flexible.
