User Centered Design

In Wired:  Fascinating piece.   " ... How the Home Telephone Sparked the User-Centered Design Revolution .... Have you ever thought about why doorknobs are positioned at around two-fifths of the door’s height, instead of right in the middle? Or why a washing machine is of its particular shape and size? These sound like stoner thoughts, but there’s actually an entire discipline and rich design history devoted to the answers. ... "  ... "