Reducing Drop-Off
Improving User Retention After Zero Search Results
About Alamy
Alamy is a global platform with 150,000+ contributors, offering stock images, vectors, 360-degree images, and videos. Customers visit Alamy to find and buy images for various needs.
The Challenge
According to SEO data, When users encountered no search results, most of the customers left the site instead of refining their search—leading to lost engagement and sales.
99.6% Abandonment Rate
when users encountered no search results
18% of returning users
on the Creative and Editorial search collection pages encounter no results, resulting in drop-offs and lost engagement.
My Role & Approach
Research
Conducted competitive analysis, explored industry best practices, and gathered insights from user interviews and SEO team data to improve the Zero Search Results Page.
Collaboration
Presented findings and design solutions to stakeholders for alignment and feedback.
Strategy Development
Developed strategies to improve engagement and retention after several sessions with team members and stakeholders.
Feasibility & Prioritization
Collaborated with solution architect and developers to assess feasibility and time costs. Partnered with the product manager to prioritize the most viable areas, planning future improvements as bandwidth allows.
BEFORE
AFTER
Problems on the old zero search results page
KEY INSIGHTS
Unclear Search Collections
The search collection tabs (All, Creative, Editorial) were not clearly visible to returning users, making them unaware that they were viewing a specific collection. This led to no results, even though content existed in other collections.
Drop-offs Due to Perceived Lack of Content
Users often abandoned the site, assuming Alamy didn’t have what they needed, even when content was available. This was primarily caused by spelling errors in search queries or users not realizing they had applied filters.
Ineffective Search Tips
The only help available on the page was the search tips, which were often ignored by users. It required them to think of a new search query, leading to a dead end.
Unaware of Applied Filter
Users were sometimes unaware of the filters they had applied which lead to no search results, which contributed to frustration and further abandonment.
Missed Opportunities for Assistance
There was a lack of category suggestions, alternate queries, personalized recommendations, and other helpful options. Users had no clear next steps to refine their search or find relevant content.
Design Approach
Based on research insights and competitive analysis, my design approach focused on the following improvements:
Redesign the filter system to clearly show applied filters on the zero search results page.
Make the search collection tabs more prominent and easily identifiable.
Clearly indicate when users are viewing a specific collection, ensuring they are aware of their search context.
Display popular or trending images to encourage further exploration and keep users engaged.
Add a Help section for users to easily access support or reach out for assistance when needed.
After collaborating with the team to assess tech feasibility and time costs, we decided to hold off on prioritizing on the 2 areas below for now due to the need for further discovery, but plan to address them in future improvements as bandwidth allows:
Provide relevant alternative search results based on user input. (Ex: Search instead)
Offer personalized recommendations, such as recently viewed images, to help users find what they need.
Design Solution
After two rounds of iterations and feedback, the design approach was refined based on previous user research and best practices.
Below is an example of returning users landing on a specific collection with no results:
A Real-World Challenge For Me
Balancing Tight Deadlines and Usability Testing
For the Zero Search Results Page design, I chose not to conduct thorough usability testing due to tight deadlines and limited resources. Since the design was based on well-established components from my previous Contentful projects, already integrated into our design system, I relied on internal feedback from stakeholders and team members using the prototype instead of testing with real users.
This decision was one of my biggest challenges, determining whether or not to conduct testing given the specific circumstances in real-world work. I was concerned that the results might not be ideal, as the perspectives of our stakeholders could differ from those of real customers. However, I decided to give it a try, knowing I could make quick iterations and adjustments if things didn’t go well, with the support of our great team to quickly react and improve it. At the same time, this experience made me consider using the user testing tool for unmoderated tests in the future.
Results
The abandonment rate for users landing on the zero search results page has significantly decreased, indicating improved user engagement and retention.
The visibility of the search collection significantly improved with a simple change to a larger tab UI. Sub collections also saw a notable increase, see the chart below.
-42%
decrease in the abandonment rate
+59.6%
increase for clicks on the “Creative” collection tab
+55%
increase for clicks on the “Editorial” collection tab
Takeaway and Next Step
Working with such talented and supportive teams at Alamy was a truly rewarding experience. I’m grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with individuals who provided valuable design feedback and supported continuous iteration. A design solution is never final, it’s a process of constant refinement. I’ve learned that it’s okay to make improvements over time that perfection isn’t always necessary, especially when time constraints require prioritization.
Moving forward, further research is needed to gather real customer insights and refine the new design. We can also explore other potential solutions, like search query suggestions and displaying previously viewed or relevant images on the no search results page, which were not prioritized due to technical and time constraints.
A big thank you to all the team members and stakeholders for the hard work and mutual support!