1. A method comprising: in a first representation of a hierarchy encoded by containment and visually displayed as a tree-map, displaying each object within the first representation as a shape comprising at least two opposing surfaces, wherein the first representation comprises one or more first objects assigned to a first tier in the hierarchy and one or more second objects assigned to a second tier in the hierarchy, and wherein each shape of a second object is nested within a shape of a first object; selecting a first shape of one of the objects within the first representation, and designating the selected shape to a different tier by moving the selected shape onto a second shape of one of the objects within the first representation in the different tier, wherein the selection and designation of the selected shape to the different tier is a single action; and creating a second representation of the hierarchy in response to the designation, including dynamically re-ordering the objects of the first representation within the tiers of the hierarchy, wherein the second representation comprises the first objects assigned to the second tier and the second objects assigned to the first tier.