How the screens users see when there’s no data yet are some of the most overlooked and impactful design moments.
The Blank Canvas Problem
Open a new project management tool. You see an empty project board. Open a new analytics dashboard. You see charts with no data. Open a new CRM. You see an empty contact list. These are empty states, and they’re some of the most important screens in your entire product.
Empty states occur at critical moments: when a user first signs up, when they create a new workspace, when a search returns no results, or when they’ve completed all their tasks. These are moments of high attention and high uncertainty. The user is looking at the screen and thinking “now what?” How you answer that question shapes everything that follows.
Yet most products treat empty states as an afterthought. A blank screen, maybe a faint illustration, perhaps a generic “No items yet” message. This is a wasted opportunity of enormous proportions.
Why Empty States Matter So Much
Empty states are disproportionately impactful for three reasons. First, they occur at moments of decision. A new user seeing an empty dashboard is deciding whether to invest time in your product. A user seeing zero search results is deciding whether to try again or give up. These are fork-in-the-road moments.
Second, empty states are moments of high attention. When there’s nothing else on the screen, whatever you do put there gets 100% of the user’s focus. This is prime real estate for guidance, motivation, or education.
Third, empty states set emotional tone. An empty screen feels lonely and uncertain. A well-designed empty state feels inviting and clear. The difference between these two feelings can be the difference between a user who stays and one who leaves.
Designing Effective Empty States
The best empty states do three things: they explain what this screen will eventually show, they provide a clear first action, and they motivate the user to take it.
For first-use empty states, show the user what the populated version will look like. Use sample data, illustrations, or brief descriptions that help the user envision the value they’ll get once they’ve added their own content. Then give them a prominent, specific call to action: “Create your first project,” “Import your contacts,” “Connect your data source.”
For zero-result states, help the user understand why they got no results and what to do about it. Suggest alternative searches, show popular categories, or offer to broaden the search criteria. Never just say “No results found” and leave it at that.
For completion states — when the user has cleared their inbox, finished their tasks, or processed all items — celebrate the achievement. This is a moment of satisfaction that reinforces the product’s value and encourages continued use.
Some products take this further by using empty states as onboarding vehicles. Instead of a separate tutorial, the empty state walks the user through setting up the feature as a natural part of populating it. The onboarding IS the content creation.
The Design Details
Keep copy concise and action-oriented. Use friendly, encouraging language rather than technical or neutral phrasing. “Your timeline is waiting for its first update” beats “No posts to display.”
Use illustrations or visual elements sparingly and purposefully. A well-chosen illustration can make an empty state feel warm and intentional. But avoid generic stock illustrations that add visual noise without meaning.
Make the primary action impossible to miss. If you want the user to create their first item, that button should be the most visually prominent element on the screen.
Test your empty states with the same rigor you apply to any other part of the product. Watch new users encounter them. See if they understand what to do. Measure how quickly they move from empty state to populated state. This conversion rate is one of the most meaningful metrics in your onboarding funnel.