It takes about half a dozen steps to search Active Directory using the Desktop Search Assistant on Windows XP. That's frustrating for most users. Fortunately you can make their life easier by creating a new shortcut on their desktops that has the following path:

%windir%\system32\rundll32.exe dsquery.dll,OpenQueryWindow

Name the new shortcut something like Search Active Directory and you're done. Users can now open the Find Users, Contacts, and Groups dialog by simply double-clicking on this shortcut, making it easier for them to find resources in Active Directory.