(I'll be the first to slap myself for asking for an "ideal" method -- I'm really looking for thoughts on how to think about this to make sure I'm considering the options for my specific scenario.)
Two keys to understanding the question:
- Each filter is formatted with the number of results within that filter (i.e. Red [18]).
- Some filters--Brand, for example--can come back with 1-200 unique filters. Each filter can only have a set number of facets (chosen by the importance of the filter) with a "See All"-style link at the bottom.
Given that, when the filters are written out, I've narrowed to three options for sorting & hiding:
Alphabetic with inserts.
*Color* *Color* Green (9) Blue (5) Magenta (14) Green (9) Purple (20) Magenta (14) Yellow (10) Purple (20) See All Red (1) Yellow (10)
This is my favorite. The entire list is alphabetic, but only the 4-5 "best" results are shown by default. When the "See All" link is clicked, the lower-rated facets are inserted in the correct alphabetic order.
The biggest downside to this one is inserting items into the list. It'd be difficult to make sure this is noticeable.
Alphabetic with Append
*Color* *Color* Green (9) Green (9) Magenta (14) Magenta (14) Purple (20) Purple (20) Yellow (10) Yellow (10) See All Blue (5) Red (1)
This is just a shade different than #1--The items are listed alphabetically, with only the "top" filters (by count) showing. Clicking "See All" appends the final two filters. These two come in alphabetically, but the entire list is now more like two merged lists.
Count Sort
*Color* *Color* Purple (20) Purple (20) Magenta (14) Magenta (14) Yellow (10) Yellow (10) Green (9) Green (9) See All Blue (5) Red (1)
This sorts the filters by count. It removes the issues with #1 and #2 (namely breaking the sort order or inserting nodes), but seems the hardest to use by default. Having the items in some type of alphabetical sorting seems key to ease of use.
Would love any thoughts! Maybe I've just over thought it?