1. A method of processing a search request received from a user, the search request directed at identifying a desired item from a set of items, in which the identification is based on applying filters in the search request, the method comprising: providing access to a set of content items, and metadata that describes the set of content items; providing access to a conversation state space containing a first filter; receiving a first search request from the user, wherein the first search request comprises a second filter; storing the second filter in the conversation state space; receiving a second search request from the user, wherein the second search request comprises a third filter; storing the third filter in the conversation state space; determining whether the first, second, and third filters in the conversation state space have a relatedness measure exceeding a threshold value based on searching for content items in the set of content items that are associated with metadata matching all of the first, second, and third filters in the conversation state space; based on determining that a first subset of content items in the set of content items is associated with metadata matching all of the first, second, and third filters in the conversation state space, presenting to the user the first subset of content items; and based on determining that no content items in the set of content items are associated with metadata matching all of the first, second, and third filters in the conversation state space: removing the second filter, that was receiving as a part of the first search request from the user, from the conversation state space; searching for content items in the set of content items that are associated with metadata matching both of the first and third filters in the conversation state space; and presenting to the user a second subset of content items that is associated with metadata matching both of the first and third filters in the conversation state space.