In the classification of a large number of items (documents or objects) there may be many facets, each with many terms. Simultaneous display of them all on the computer screen is clearly inconvenient, if not impossible. So the problem of temporal sequence arises—in what order will what be displayed? Some possible strategies might be:
(1)
Within a hierarchy, say of subject fields, show first the top level of the hierarchy; when a term within it is chosen, show its subclasses; continue in this way down the hierarchy until a faceted subject field is reached.
(2)
At this point, some possible strategies are:
(a)
Display only the names of all facets, and when one is chosen, display its term content; if this content is large and hierarchical, use strategy (1). Repeat for each chosen facet name.
(b)
Display all facets, but with only a few first-listed terms in each; when a facet is chosen, expand to display its full content; again, if the facet is large and hierarchical, use strategy (1). Repeat for each chosen facet.
(c)
Display only the most important facets and their terms; when term selection from these is complete, display a second set of facets, and so on until all have been displayed.