Fixed by increasing timeout thresholds to 60s and optimizing connection pooling. Load balancer 504 errors reduced by 95%... Implemented retry logic and user feedback for API timeouts. Added exponential backoff and circuit breaker pattern... Resolved N+1 query problem by implementing batched queries and adding proper indexes. API response times improved 3x... Facets reveal metadata clustering patterns across team, status, priority, and assignee dimensions. High counts indicate where relevant information concentrates. Key insight: When all returned results share characteristics (like status="Done"), facets often reveal hidden relevant data with different values that need investigation. Decision framework: - All results share traits: check facets for hidden different values (e.g., "Open" tickets) - Strong clustering patterns: apply targeted filters for focused investigation - Uncertain relevance: surface metadata distributions to user for guidance Combine multiple filters (team + status + priority) to narrow search scope strategically.