However, we can immediately see that their purposes are distinct from one another. From a design standpoint, one grievance with Sanford Burnham is the shortage of active links to immediately usable information. First and foremost, it is of note that in a page with several eye-catching graphics pertaining to particular site destinations (the Center for Nanomedicine, Sanford Burnham's blog) none of these photographs is used as an active link. This is a missed opportunity for site usability that may be perceived as being of marginal importance but in reality can have significant impact on how long a visitor remains on a site and how many pages said visitor is inclined to click-through. This is a shortcoming easily resolved but does impact the site's relative dynamism.

The importance of such a matter is highlighted in a comparison between the two sites, with Research America ultimately compiling a site that is a great deal more informative from a web usability standpoint. The main portal for Stem Cell Research on this site is flanked by clickable links to internal points within the site as well as to PDF documents rife with current information on matters such as state by state research initiatives on stem cell research, state by state polls on the public opinion regarding stem cell research and federal legislation both in existence and under consideration. Additionally, the main page offers an immediately current story regarding a decision made by a panel of judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, reporting on a victory for stem cell funding advocacy. The story draws in the visitor, providing something of an indication of the site's perspective and priorities in a way that Sanford Burnham does not.

Moreover, this story is flanked by usable permanent links that navigate the site. On the left hand menu, entitled Advocacy...

On the right hand side, a menu called "Tools For:" links to a series of click-through opportunities that can allow a user to navigate continuously through numerous pages without requiring a backtrack.
This differs from Sanford Burnham, which does offer a left-bound menu with several bullet points, including "Scientific Lectures, Seminars and Symposia," "Latest News Releases" and "News Archive." Unfortunately, this menu is not consistently present throughout. For instance, if you click on "Scientific Lectures, Seminars and Symposia," this page does not offer any internal links to further information and, additionally, offers a different left-bound menu with different options. Even more problematic still, when one returns to the homepage left-bound menu and clicks on such items as 'Upcoming Events," one is taken to a page without any left-bound menu at all. This requires the user to backtrack in navigation, disrupting the continuity of one's research.

It also leads to the impression of a sparseness of information and click-through linking, suggesting less depth than is present in Research America. While this may not be true, the navigation failures of Sanford Burnham create this sense for the user. We may even surmise that the more declarative political agenda of Research America gives its site greater focus and a more direct imperative to create a site of information that is highly usable for members of the public.

Works Cited:

Research America: http://www.researchamerica.org/stemcell_issue?gclid=COuYj67at5sCFQuU7QodsmBAAg

Sanford Burnham:

http://www.burnham.org/default.asp?contentID=79