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An empty state should tell people why the expected content is missing and, when useful, what they can do next. The right message depends on the cause: a feature may be new, a search may have no matches, a task may be complete, or the system may have failed to load content. Treating all four as the same blank screen can leave users unsure whether the app is waiting, finished, or broken.
First identify why the space is empty
Before writing copy, determine what the system knows about the absence. SAP Fiori groups empty situations as no-data, user-action, and error states; Morningstar distinguishes situations following a user action from those where the user needs to act. Those distinctions affect both the message and the action, if any, that belongs beside it.
| Cause | Has processing finished? | Does the user need to act? | Useful response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feature not configured or used yet | Usually; the area has no items yet | Often | Say what will appear here and provide a direct setup or add-content route when available. |
| Search or filter has no matches | Yes, once the search has completed | Possibly | Name the content that was searched and suggest a realistic query or filter adjustment. |
| Task completed successfully | Yes | Usually not | Confirm completion; do not add an action just to fill the space. |
| Error or access problem | The requested content could not be shown | Often | Explain the problem in plain language and offer a corrective step if one is available. |
| Loading or other ongoing work | No | No, unless the interface provides a relevant cancel or wait option | Show accurate progress or status feedback rather than a final no-content message. |
These categories are a practical synthesis of the guidance from Nielsen Norman Group, SAP Fiori, Morningstar, and eBay. They are not interchangeable templates: the cause, surrounding page, component size, and available actions all matter.
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Use words tied to the content people expected, not a generic label that merely announces emptiness. “No results” may be accurate, but it gives little context by itself. A more useful search message identifies what produced no matches, such as “No projects match these filters.” If the reason is known, state it; if it is not known, do not invent one.
#1 Best Overall
SAP Fiori’s guidance captures the core requirement: “It is important to tell the user what the empty state is for, why the user is seeing it, and what the user can do next.” Keep that explanation concise and specific to the current screen.
For a first-use feature
Tell users what belongs in the area and how to add the first item, if they have permission to do so. For example: “Your saved reports will appear here. Create a report to get started.” Make the action a direct route to the relevant creation or setup step rather than sending users to a general help page when an in-product path exists.
Rank #2
For a search with no matches
Name the searched object and suggest a sensible adjustment only if it is possible in the interface: “No invoices match this search. Try a different date range or clear a filter.” Avoid asking users to change criteria that are not available on the screen. Morningstar’s guidance also distinguishes a search that finds nothing from cases where an object may have existed before; describe only what the system can establish.
For a completed task
Confirm what has happened, such as “All invitations have been sent.” When the task is complete and there is no useful follow-up, confirmation is enough. An unnecessary button or instruction can make success feel like another problem to solve.
For an error or missing permission
Use human-readable language to say what could not be done and, when known, how to recover. For example: “We couldn’t load this folder. Check your connection and try again.” If the user lacks access, say that rather than implying the folder is simply empty. Nielsen Norman Group’s error-message guidance advises against communicating errors through color alone; pair visual treatment with a clear message.
Do not report an empty result while work is still running
A loading state and a completed search with no matches are different system states. If a “No records” message appears before data finishes loading, users may reasonably conclude that the records do not exist. Show progress or an accurate status while the request is underway; show a no-content result only when the process has completed and the result is genuinely empty.
Nielsen Norman Group summarizes this principle with “Do not default to totally empty states” and recommends progress indicators while a process is running so users can see system status. The point is not to add animation everywhere: the feedback should accurately reflect whether work is ongoing, complete, or unable to finish.
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An empty state is both a message and part of the page layout. SAP notes that layout depends on the situation and page; eBay emphasizes a quick primary message and cautions against providing no resolution or overwhelming users with too many possible actions. Prioritize the explanation, then include the one next step that genuinely helps.
Best Value
- Offer an action when it resolves the cause. A create button can help in an unused area; a retry option can help after a temporary failure.
- Offer an adjustment when it can change the result. Search guidance is useful only when users can edit the query or filters.
- Leave actions out when nothing remains to do. A completed task may need only confirmation.
- Keep the treatment proportional. A compact inline area may need a short sentence, while a full-page first-use state may need a brief explanation and a prominent starting action.
- Preserve the distinction between absence and failure. Do not use empty-state styling to imply that missing content is normal when the system cannot retrieve it.
A practical review before shipping
- Identify the cause. Is the area unconfigured, did the user’s search return no matches, did a task finish, or did something fail?
- Confirm the system state. Has loading or processing finished? If not, show ongoing status rather than a final empty result.
- Write the explanation. Name the expected content and explain the known reason it is absent.
- Check the next step. Add only an action that is available and useful in this situation.
- Check access and recovery. If content is hidden by a permission issue or unavailable because of an error, make that clear instead of calling the area empty.
- Trim and test the layout. Keep the primary message easy to find and ensure the visual treatment does not rely on color or animation alone to convey meaning.
The guidance cited here is design guidance rather than a quantified claim about conversion or user confusion. Nielsen Norman Group’s 2021 article, SAP Fiori’s versioned guidance, and the other design-system pages support a cause-specific approach; they do not establish a universal metric or one layout that works for every product.
Quick Recap
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