Abstract: A method for user identification of a desired document is provided. The method includes receiving an identification of a prototype document, providing a database identifying a catalog of documents, identifying as candidate documents all documents within the catalog of documents which are within a threshold T1 relative to the prototype document, the threshold T1 being a member of the group consisting of (i) a distance representing dissimilarity and (ii) a score determined in dependence on a view of user preferences and dissimilarity, identifying a collection of fewer than all of the candidate documents, receiving, from the user, a selection of one or more documents from the collection identified toward the user, reducing the threshold T1 by a predetermined amount, and removing, from the candidate documents, all documents within the catalog of documents having a distance greater than the reduced threshold T1 from the selected one or more documents.