Empty states—screens with no content or data—are often overlooked but represent critical design opportunities. A thoughtfully designed empty state can guide users, provide education, and create emotional connection.
Types of empty states to design for:
- First-use emptiness: When users first encounter a feature
- User-cleared emptiness: After users delete or archive content
- Search/filter zero results: When queries return nothing
- Error-state emptiness: When something goes wrong
- Temporary emptiness: During loading or processing
Effective empty state components:
- Illustrative visuals: Contextual imagery that explains the state
- Clear messaging: Direct explanation of what's happening
- Constructive guidance: Next steps or recommended actions
- Emotional tone: Appropriate personality that maintains brand voice
- Action-oriented CTA: Clear path to progress beyond emptiness
Empty state best practices:
- Never just say "No results" or "Nothing here"—provide context
- Match the emotional impact to the situation
- Consider variable content states (truly empty vs. sparse)
- Use consistent visual language across empty states
- Test empty states with real users to ensure clarity
Common empty state mistakes:
- Generic templates across different contexts
- Overly cute messaging for serious situations
- Missing clear next actions
- No explanation of how to fill the emptiness
- Focusing on the problem rather than the solution
Well-designed empty states can increase feature adoption by up to 20% and significantly reduce support inquiries from confused users.