Keeping users exploring after a dead-end search
Little Context
Our service has a model where search volume is directly tied to business results. So keeping users searching until they ended up finding what they were looking for was critical to that.
ROLE & Contribution
Product Designer / Identified an unmet need for search continuation through behavioral and query analysis. Designed an AI follow-up suggestion system from concept to production.
Problem & Goal
When the first search didn't deliver, most users didn't try again and just left. Our goal was to nudge them toward a better search before they gave up.
Problem
Goal
First Search
First Search
Poor results
Poor results
Drop-off
Nudge
Re-search
87% left without searching again
Prior Approach
Users could already edit their search and search again from the results page.
But the feature was hard to discover because it was tucked away at the top and easily missed while browsing results. Even when users found it, they weren't sure what to change in their search.
How might we help users pivot their search from the initial search and continue exploring?
Higher discoverability
Guidance for what to search
Insight & Approach
To understand what kind of guidance users needed, we looked at their search query and found that a search query might look like a single question, but it often carries multiple intentions underneath.
This gave us a hint that we could uncover the legal angles already hidden in the query using AI, pointing users toward the aspects they were most likely curious about (creating moments where users think, ‘maybe I should look into this’), even if they hadn't articulated them yet.
You might also ask
Tap to refine and search
The other person started the fight while drunk, grabbing the defendant first. The defendant then punched back, causing facial fractures. Are there rulings that decided whether this counts as self-defense or went too far?
Show less
Was it self-defense or too far?
A
Both sides got into a fight, but one person is now claiming medical costs for a broken face. Are there similar cases that show how courts decided who was at fault and how much they had to pay?
Who pays for the injuries?
B
The other person started the fight while drunk, grabbing the defendant first. The defendant then punched back, causing facial fractures. Are there rulings that decided whether this counts as self-defense or went too far?
Show less
Was it self-defense or too far?
A
Both sides got into a fight, but one person is now claiming medical costs for a broken face. Are there similar cases that show how courts decided who was at fault and how much they had to pay?
Who pays for the injuries?
B
Design Considerations & Explorations
Applying these insights to the design, we defined key design considerations and explored the design concepts in trade-off settings.
1. Suggestions should appear at the right moment in the search flow
Placed above with user’s query
Easy to compare to the original input
Appears before gaining any values from the results
→ More likely to be ignored
Placed between results
Selected
Preserves the primary experience of reviewing results
Surfaces at the moment curiosity or follow-up thoughts naturally kick in
→ Encourages deeper exploration with right context
2. Suggestions should be easy to act on
One by one
Clear information hierarchy
More deliberate content consumption
Stronger action orientation
→ Risk of missing non-default option when the default isn’t relevant
Two at once
Selected
Easy to compare together
Helpful to decide quickly
Higher visibility of every option
→ Easier to identify a relevant path to search
4 options
Covers a broader range of legal concerns
Higher information density
Increases cognitive load
→ Good to explore but requires more effort to decide
2 options
Selected
Highlights two of the most relevant two directions
Reduces decision friction
Makes the next step more obvious
→ Easier to scan and act on quickly
You might also ask
Tips
You punched back after being grabbed first. Whether that counts as self-defense or excessive force is likely what determines your legal exposure here.
They're claiming medical costs for a facial fracture. Courts look at who provoked the fight and how severe the response was — that's what decides financial liability.
A
Was it self-defense or too far?
B
Who pays for the injuries?
Descriptive direction
Explains what to explore
Requires users to write the next query
→ Extra step between understanding and acting
Completed question
Selected
Ready to refine the search directly from the current page
Reduces the cognitive effort of deciding what to ask next
→ One tap from insight to action
3. Suggestions should preserve user intent, not override it.
Search immediately
Fastest flow with minimal friction
No chance to correct AI interpretation
→ Unnecessary decision point - settle for imperfection / restart searching
Review & edit before searching
Selected
Keeps users in control of AI interpretation
Eliminate the need to restart from scratch
→ Preserves user intent while reducing cognitive load
Final Design
Reminder: When the first search didn't deliver, most users didn't try again and just left. Our goal was to nudge them toward a better search before they gave up.
Impact
First Search Drop-off Rate
87.0
→
77.8%
- 9.2%p
Re-search Rate
13.0
→
22.2%
+ 70.8%