Clusterflick Overhauls Search to Suggest Results When Queries Return Nothing

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London film listings platform Clusterflick identified a recurring problem where users searching by genre, actor name, or event title received no results due to the site's default seven-day browsing window and title-only search logic. The issue came to light through informal user testing, including an instance where a user searching 'documentary' found nothing because the term is a genre filter, not a film title. To address this, the platform built a fallback system that activates when a search returns zero results, analysing the query and offering alternative interpretations as clickable suggestions with result counts. The suggestions are ranked by how much they deviate from the original query, prioritising exact matches against filters like genre, format, or cast before broadening the date range or relaxing other criteria. The change aims to reduce dead-end searches without simplifying the existing filter overlay, which remains available for users who want more granular control.

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