Most people skip product tours. They click through the first two steps, close the rest and start poking around on their own. What they find when they do is usually an empty screen.
Make the empty screen do the work
An empty state is the first thing a new user sees in every part of the product. It is the perfect place to explain what goes there and how to add the first item.
The best ones do three things: say what this space is for, show what it looks like when it is full, and offer one clear action to get started.
One action, not five
Empty states often try to do too much: import, create, invite, watch a video, read the docs. Pick the single most useful action and make it the only button. Put everything else in a quiet link underneath.
Write it like a person
- Say what the space is for in one sentence.
- Use the same words as the button that fills it.
- Avoid jokes. People who are stuck are rarely in the mood.
A good empty state is onboarding that people actually read.
