I'm not sure that you can say definitively that some roles are better filled by consultants, but I would say that some projects are better handled by consultants.

As much as we may want to withdraw into a world of pure problem solving, we have to acknowledge that the most successful architectures are the ones you can actually convince someone to implement.

Giving something your time isn't the same as giving it your attention.

But the best teams I've encountered have one important thing in common: their team structure and processes cover a full range of distinct competencies necessary for success.

The more everybody knows about all aspects of the problems we face, the better off all of us will be. Less time spent explaining things means more time for coming up with creative solutions.

A good designer can create a design that accommodates all the constraints and still delivers an elegant, satisfying experience to the user. A great designer can go beyond this and create a design that demonstrates that some of those constraints weren’t really there to begin with.

User-centered design means understanding what your users need, how they think, and how they behave - and incorporating that understanding into every aspect of your process.