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.

Problems with visual design can turn users off so quickly that they never discover all the smart choices you made with navigation or interaction design.

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.

My job involves a lot of different skills now - I'm as much entrepreneur and management consultant as anything else these days - but IA is still my favorite part of the work I do.

If you need to take a step back from day-to-day operations and plot out the long-term direction of your user experience strategy, consultants can give you a perspective you can't get on your own.

But despite the universality of URLs, we often forget that they're not just a handy way to address network resources. They're also valuable communication tools.

Google is making a huge investment in developing the Ajax approach.