Your first chance to retain a user — or lose them without knowing why
Empty states appear when there's nothing to show yet. They're also your first real chance to guide users toward value — or lose them quietly before the product has had a chance to prove itself.
What Empty States Are
An empty state is what users see when there's no content to display yet — a new account with no data, a search that returned no results, a filtered view with no matches, an inbox after archiving everything.
They're almost universally treated as afterthoughts — something handled with a quick "No results found" and a generic icon. That's a missed opportunity, because empty states are encountered right at the moments when users are most likely to disengage.
The Three Types
First-time empty states — when a user opens a feature or page for the first time and there's nothing there yet. This is the highest-stakes variant. If {{LINK:onboarding-ux}} has gaps, the empty state is where users stall and churn without ever sending a support ticket.
User-cleared empty states — when a user has deliberately emptied a view (completed all their tasks, archived all messages). These are moments of accomplishment. The design response should acknowledge that, not mirror the first-time empty state.
No-results empty states — when a search or filter returns nothing. The most functional type: users want help recovering, not congratulations. Give them a clear path to adjust their search or reset filters.
Why Most Teams Get Them Wrong
The common failure mode is treating every empty state as a neutral dead end — "Nothing here yet" with a small illustration and no follow-up.
What they should be is an invitation. The first-time empty state for a project management tool shouldn't just say "No projects yet." It should say "Create your first project" with a direct CTA. Better still: a quick-start template that moves users to value without friction.
The deeper problem is structural: empty states rarely get designed as part of the primary flow. They get designed at the end of the sprint, if at all. The {{LINK:ux-debt}} shows.
What Good Looks Like
Three elements make an empty state work:
- A clear explanation — users should immediately understand why the state is empty (not because something broke, but because there's nothing there yet)
- A direct primary action — a CTA that creates the first piece of content or resolves the emptiness. One action, not three.
- Expectation-setting — a brief note on what the user will see once there's content helps them understand what they're working toward
Mailchimp's empty states are frequently cited as a good example — practical guidance with a personality that doesn't feel forced. Notion goes further, offering template suggestions that lower the activation energy of starting.
The goal is simple: no user should hit an empty state and be unsure what to do next. If they are, that's a {{INTERNAL:/services/ux-audit}} finding waiting to be made.