RE: Digest Number 117

Marcel,

What you are describing are the various intersections of a Venn diagram
[search Google for abundant information on the concept].

I have used Venn diagrams very successfully in the last couple of months
to explain to our corporate records management and IT people the
numerous advantages faceted classification matrices have over single
dimensional classifications.

If someone comes up with a browser based Venn-based GUI to build a
faceted query I would be most interested - especially if this is
something that produced an XML output structure that could easily be
bolted on to a third party content management system. 

I'm currently experimenting with using mind maps [search Google for info
on the concept] to navigate faceted classifications, where each main
branch represents a separate facet. Unfortunately, this metaphor
provides no capacity to build an intersection. Users can follow down one
branch to URLs for saved queries appropriate for the classification
term, but additional facets to refine the query have to be added
manually via a dialog form.

What the Venn-based GUI would need to do is to apply the hierarchy of a
particular facet to a circle, allow the user to navigate the hierarchy
within that facet to select a query term; and then do the same thing for
additional circles. The output from the GUI when the execute search
button is clicked would be a query representing the Boolean join of the
terms selected in the respective circles.

Regards.

Bill Hall

Documentation Systems Analyst
Head Office, Engineering
Tenix Defence
Williamstown, Vic. 3016
Phone: 03 9244 4820
Email:[email protected]
URL: http://www.tenix.com

Honorary Research Fellow
Knowledge Management Lab
School of Information Management & Systems
Monash University
Caulfield East, Vic. 3145
URL: http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/km/
 

| -----Original Message-----
| From: [email protected]
| [mailto:[email protected]]
| Sent: Wednesday, 10 March 2004 3:11 AM
| Message: 1
|    Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 19:59:58 +0100
|    From: "Marcel van Mackelenbergh" <[email protected]>
| Subject: visual metaphor for faceted interfaces
| 
| Dear colleague-facet-lovers,
| 
| How do you explain faceted interfaces to others?
| 
| More or less, I use two metaphors:
| 1. During war the various ground defence systems point search 
| lights to
| the aeroplanes flying over. Probably the aeroplane will be at the
| intersection of the various search lights. Same with faceted 
| interfaces.
| The desired information can be found at the intersection of the
| categories that were chosen on the various facets
| 2. Faceted interfaces are like putting various filters over 
| each other.
| The search result will contain only the information that will pass
| through all of the filters.
| 
| Could this visual metaphor also be used for designing different
| interfaces than we currently have?
| 
| Is there any effort going on to collect examples of faceted 
| interfaces?
| 
| Thanks,
| 
| Marcel
| 
| 


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