This is a well rounded and complex site, in terms of the information provided, with some eyecatching "logo-type" graphics. Basic information about the New England Aquarium is included, such as admission prices, location, mission statement, volunteer programs as well as information on exhibits and ongoing projects. I think that the organization of the site is a mediocre use of the medium.
There are a lot of choices after each click at this site, which is somewhat confusing, but mostly overwelming. The choices that lead directly to information about research projects confront the viewer with huge blocks of text,which is a turnoff for me, but may not be for someone interested in the subject presented. I would like to see the research project pages start with a brief description of the project which includes the role that the Aquarium plays. Under or to the side of this description could be a row of buttons that users can click on to go to specific sections of the text about the project. This would allow researchers to post more of the information available, and would allow users to go directly to the sections that interest them rather than having to scroll through the entire text. I would also like to see images of the subject of the research included as well as links to other sites that might offer additional information.
Despite these criticisms, the sections on the research projects are well written, not very long and informative.
Useful links to other aquatic resources, including Boston aquatic resources, are also included.
Despite the things that I think could be improved, this site seems to be evolving and updated frequently and I am sure that some of the issues will be addressed.
The number and size of images is small, which means that most pages at this site load relatively quickly.
The site does provide a search mechanism for the entire Internet via the Lycos index, so further information could be found in this manner.
Certain images are repeated on each screen, which gives the site a very uniform look.
Aside from the logo images on each screen, most of the information is in text format. There were a few images of staff, one of which included a sea lion. There were also a few images in the history section that related to the text, but none of them worked when I viewed the site. I would like to see the creators of the page add more images that relate to the text, such as pictures of the creatures that the institution houses.
I would like to see the history of aquatic Boston section broken down more to take advantage of the capabilities of hypertext to a greater extent.
I would also like to see a 'back to main page" link added to each page.