Cognitive science explores human knowledge structures and information processing. It has provided two foundational concepts that have the potential to affect what we can expect our computers to do and how they might do it. The two concepts are "situatedness" and "constructive memory". This talk introduces these concepts and describes and demonstrates novel design computing systems built using them. Traditional design computing involves encoding as much knowledge in the computer program as possible. Situated design computing involves developing knowledge through the interaction of the program with its environment. It uses a different concept of memory in order to capture and re-use experience.

The examples will show how the introduction of situatedness and constructive memory into computing and specifically into design computing, to produce situated design computing, expands the scope and range of applicability of computers in design.