diff --git a/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserCacheType.php b/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserCacheType.php
--- a/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserCacheType.php
+++ b/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserCacheType.php
@@ -27,11 +27,7 @@
   }
 
   public function getValueFromStorage($value) {
-    return phutil_json_decode($value);
-  }
-
-  public function getValueForStorage($value) {
-    return phutil_json_encode($value);
+    return $value;
   }
 
   public function newValueForUsers($key, array $users) {
diff --git a/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserMessageCountCacheType.php b/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserMessageCountCacheType.php
--- a/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserMessageCountCacheType.php
+++ b/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserMessageCountCacheType.php
@@ -21,10 +21,6 @@
     return (int)$value;
   }
 
-  public function getValueForStorage($value) {
-    return $value;
-  }
-
   public function newValueForUsers($key, array $users) {
     if (!$users) {
       return array();
diff --git a/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserNotificationCountCacheType.php b/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserNotificationCountCacheType.php
--- a/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserNotificationCountCacheType.php
+++ b/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserNotificationCountCacheType.php
@@ -21,10 +21,6 @@
     return (int)$value;
   }
 
-  public function getValueForStorage($value) {
-    return $value;
-  }
-
   public function newValueForUsers($key, array $users) {
     if (!$users) {
       return array();
diff --git a/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserPreferencesCacheType.php b/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserPreferencesCacheType.php
--- a/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserPreferencesCacheType.php
+++ b/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserPreferencesCacheType.php
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@
     return ($key === self::KEY_PREFERENCES);
   }
 
+  public function getValueFromStorage($value) {
+    return phutil_json_decode($value);
+  }
+
   public function newValueForUsers($key, array $users) {
     $viewer = $this->getViewer();
 
@@ -27,9 +31,15 @@
       ->withUserPHIDs($user_phids)
       ->execute();
 
-    $empty = array_fill_keys($user_phids, array());
+    $settings = mpull($preferences, 'getPreferences', 'getUserPHID');
+
+    $results = array();
+    foreach ($user_phids as $user_phid) {
+      $value = idx($settings, $user_phid, array());
+      $results[$user_phid] = phutil_json_encode($value);
+    }
 
-    return mpull($preferences, 'getPreferences', 'getUserPHID') + $empty;
+    return $results;
   }
 
 }
diff --git a/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserProfileImageCacheType.php b/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserProfileImageCacheType.php
--- a/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserProfileImageCacheType.php
+++ b/src/applications/people/cache/PhabricatorUserProfileImageCacheType.php
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@
     return ($key === self::KEY_URI);
   }
 
+  public function getDefaultValue() {
+    return PhabricatorUser::getDefaultProfileImageURI();
+  }
+
   public function newValueForUsers($key, array $users) {
     $viewer = $this->getViewer();
 
@@ -55,10 +59,6 @@
     return end($parts);
   }
 
-  public function getValueForStorage($value) {
-    return $value;
-  }
-
   public function shouldValidateRawCacheData() {
     return true;
   }
diff --git a/src/applications/people/query/PhabricatorPeopleQuery.php b/src/applications/people/query/PhabricatorPeopleQuery.php
--- a/src/applications/people/query/PhabricatorPeopleQuery.php
+++ b/src/applications/people/query/PhabricatorPeopleQuery.php
@@ -544,8 +544,7 @@
 
       $data = $type->newValueForUsers($cache_key, $need_users);
 
-      foreach ($data as $user_phid => $value) {
-        $raw_value = $type->getValueForStorage($value);
+      foreach ($data as $user_phid => $raw_value) {
         $data[$user_phid] = $raw_value;
         $writes[] = array(
           'userPHID' => $user_phid,
diff --git a/src/applications/people/storage/PhabricatorUser.php b/src/applications/people/storage/PhabricatorUser.php
--- a/src/applications/people/storage/PhabricatorUser.php
+++ b/src/applications/people/storage/PhabricatorUser.php
@@ -1463,8 +1463,7 @@
     if ($user_phid) {
       $map = $type->newValueForUsers($key, array($this));
       if (array_key_exists($user_phid, $map)) {
-        $usable_value = $map[$user_phid];
-        $raw_value = $type->getValueForStorage($usable_value);
+        $raw_value = $map[$user_phid];
         $usable_value = $type->getValueFromStorage($raw_value);
 
         $this->rawCacheData[$key] = $raw_value;