Word: Faceted Navigation

Definition: A faceted navigation is typically understood by users as a filter system. Faceted meta data is leveraged through its fields and values, which are visible to the user. The user can then manipulate the values to refine and clarify her search query in order to better understand the data.

Reference: Field-leading blog, A List Apart, calls faceted navigation, "arguably the most significant search innovation of the past decade" in reference to The Flamenco Search Interface Project conducted at UC Berkeley's school of information.

Thoughts: Data is becoming more and more robust with every passing day and it is increasingly important to be able to make sense of it and sort through vast amounts in a meaningful way. While this is easily illustrated through the dynamic filter system of sites like Amazon, refining information is extremely important everywhere from large e-commerce sites to specified enterprise software. Users need and want more control over queries and it is up to UX designers to provide clear options and paths to this desired information.