Product and UX Content

Empty State Copy Sheet

Explain why a product area has no content, whether anything is wrong, what the user can do next, and which prerequisites or alternatives apply.

Free editable Markdown · Content designers, product designers, and developers · Updated July 30, 2026

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Empty-state diagnosis

Surface and state ID: [Enter]
Trigger or cause: [Enter]
State type: [First use / No result / Filtered / Denied / Delayed / Offline / Error]
What the system knows: [Enter]
What remains unknown: [Enter]
Likely user concern: [Describe]
Data or privacy boundary: [Describe]
Owner: [Product/content]

Copy card

Heading: [State or outcome]
Explanation: [Why empty and whether anything is wrong]
Primary action: [Exact label and destination]
Expected result: [What happens next]
Secondary or alternative action: [Enter]
Help or support path: [Enter]
Illustration purpose: [Informative / Decorative / None]
Variable and fallback: [Enter]

Cause-specific checks

Irreversible action nearby: [Describe or None]
Recovery verified: [Name/version/date]

First-use copy explains value without requiring unrelated setup.
No-result states preserve input and offer clear adjustment.
Filtered states show that content may exist outside current filters.
Permission states avoid revealing hidden item details.
Delayed and offline states distinguish waiting from data loss.
Failure states offer tested retry, recovery, or support.

QA and measurement

Transition tested: [Populated to empty / Empty to populated]
Device and assistive technology: [Enter]
Long translation result: [Enter]
Action destination result: [Enter]
Analytics state identifier: [Enter]
Observed confusion: [Enter or None]
Approved version: [Enter]
Update trigger: [Permission/filter/storage/import/change]

How to use this template

Inventory every first-use, no-result, filtered, permission, delayed, offline, and failure cause.
Record the system truth, likely user concern, available action, and information boundary.
Draft a concise heading, explanation, specific action, and alternative for each distinct cause.
Test transitions, errors, accessibility, localization, and the destination of every action.
Instrument state causes and maintain copy with product and permission changes.

Classify the empty state from system truth

List every condition that can produce the blank area: a new account has no items, a search found no match, filters hide results, the user deleted content, a collaborator has not shared access, synchronization is pending, or data failed to load. Do not reuse a cheerful “nothing here yet” for failure or denied access. Record what the system knows, what it cannot know, and whether the user caused the state. A message should prevent false conclusions, especially when people may fear that work was lost or a payment, upload, or submission failed.

Offer the appropriate next action

For a first-use state, explain the area's purpose and one meaningful way to begin. For no results, preserve the query and offer to clear or adjust filters. For permission, explain who can grant access without revealing private resources. For deletion, show reversal only when it exists. Keep the primary action specific and ensure its destination creates the promised outcome. Avoid promoting an unrelated feature simply because the screen has space. When the user cannot resolve the state, provide status, retry, support, or a safe alternative rather than a disabled button.

Design for context, accessibility, and change

Pair heading, explanation, action, optional illustration, and help without repeating the same message. An illustration should not carry the only meaning, and decorative art needs appropriate accessibility handling. Test long translations, narrow viewports, keyboard focus, screen readers, slow networks, return visits, and populated-to-empty transitions. Ensure analytics distinguish state causes so teams do not interpret all empty views as failed activation. Give each state a product and content owner and review it when permissions, storage, filters, imports, or recovery behavior changes.

See the fields in context

Fictional example: filtered project list

MeadowDesk is invented. The state and actions below are not GPTHuman behavior.

Cause: A fictional “Archived” filter and old date range hide all projects.
Heading: “No archived projects match these dates.”
Primary action: “Clear date range,” which preserves the archived filter and reveals matching items if they exist.
Alternative: Link to active projects without implying anything was deleted.
Test: Screen-reader output names the current filter and action before decorative illustration content.

Frequently asked questions

Should every empty state include an action?

Only when the user can take a useful next step. Otherwise explain the status, timing, or support path.

Can first-use and no-result states share copy?

Rarely. One explains how to begin; the other responds to an attempted search or filter and should preserve context.

Is humor appropriate in empty states?

Only when it fits the audience and does not minimize data loss, access denial, payment, or failure.

How should empty states be measured?

Track the underlying cause and subsequent useful action, not a single undifferentiated empty-view count.