This paper describes an empirical study of the use of a mundane domestic technology - the telephone. It combines qualitative and quantitative data gathered as part of a longitudinal study of a panel of 2400 individuals distributed across 1000 UK households. It uses this data to build a rich picture of the ways in which people use the telephone in the late 1990s highlighting the way in which factors such as roles, location, life rhythms and in particular, gender, influence patterns of use and interaction for social purposes. The paper then discusses how these findings are of significance at various levels from the identification of specific design requirements to the conception of what user centred design is and can be in the consumer market. © 2001 Academic Press.