Empty state

What a screen or component shows when there is nothing to display: no results, an empty list, a failed load.

Also called: empty state, zero state, empty, nothing here, nothing found, no results, no data, no results found, empty cart, empty screen, empty list, placeholder when empty

What it is for

It keeps people from feeling lost by explaining why the screen is empty. A good empty state has an explanatory line, a clear illustration and, optionally, a button for the first action.

Where you see it

• Cart — “Your cart is empty. Browse the catalog”
• Search results — “Nothing found for your search”, with some alternatives
• Account pages — a first visit, before any projects or tasks exist

What it is called in code

• empty state
• zero state

See also

• Table — Data laid out in rows and columns.
• Loading indicators — Anything that shows the site is busy: a progress bar, a spinning icon, or gray placeholders where content will appear.
• 404 error page — The page a server returns when you go to an address that doesn’t exist.