App Empty States: How to Turn Blank Screens Into Conversions
The 3 Types of Empty States, 5 Design Elements, and Real Customer Examples That Drive First Actions
Empty states are the most-seen screens in your app. Every new user sees them on day one. Every returning user hits them when filters return zero results or before they create their first item. Yet most apps treat empty states as an afterthought. This guide shows the 3 types of empty states, the 5 elements every great empty state has, and how Memorial Tacos, VintPets, Woodloch, and DO Max use empty states to drive first-time conversion. If you also need to nail the onboarding flow leading up to empty states, see our app onboarding best practices guide.
What You Will Learn
- Why empty states get seen more than any other screen
- The 3 types of empty states and when each one applies
- The 5 elements every great empty state must include
- The 7 empty state mistakes that quietly cost downloads
Backed by patterns we see across 10 million+ apps built on Appy Pie AI. Rated 4.7/5 on G2 from 1,388 reviews.
Build an App With Smart Empty StatesTL;DR Quick Summary
Empty states are not error states. They are opportunities. Every empty state should include a helpful illustration, a friendly headline, a clear next action, and a secondary path. Done well, your empty state becomes the most effective onboarding tool in your app. Done badly, users see a blank screen and assume your app is broken.
Table of Contents
Jump to any section. This guide covers why empty states matter, the 3 types, 5 design elements, industry examples, real customer teardowns, mistakes to avoid, and how Appy Pie AI handles empty states automatically.
- Why Empty States Decide Activation
- The 3 Types of Empty States
- 5 Elements of a Great Empty State
- Empty State Copy: Hostile vs Helpful
- Industry Empty States: 6 Verticals
- Real Customer Teardowns: 4 Successful Apps
- How Appy Pie AI Handles Empty States
- 7 Empty State Mistakes That Cost Conversions
- Free Tools and Templates
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
Why Empty States Decide Activation
Most product teams underestimate empty states because they imagine the app fully populated with content. They review designs in Figma where every list has 5 items, every profile has an avatar, every feed has posts. The user opening your app on day one sees none of that. They see blank screens, empty containers, and the message your design system shows when there is nothing yet.
Where Empty States Show Up
- First-time experience: Every list, every section, every feature before the user has created anything
- Zero-result searches: When a filter or query returns nothing
- Cleared inboxes: When notifications, messages, or alerts are all cleared
- Deleted content: After a user removes their last item
- Connection failures: When offline or when data cannot be fetched
- Feature gating: When a feature requires a permission or subscription
Empty states are not a niche concern. They are roughly half of what users see in the first 5 minutes. We covered the surrounding flow in our app onboarding best practices guide and app navigation patterns guide.
The 3 Types of Empty States
Not all empty states are the same. Each type has a different cause, a different tone, and a different recovery path.
1. First-Use Empty States
Shown when a user has not yet created or added anything. This is your single most important empty state because every new user sees it.
Onboarding moment2. Zero-Results Empty States
Shown when a search or filter returns nothing. Always helpful, never just “No results.” Suggest alternatives or popular content.
Search and filters3. Error / Failure Empty States
Shown when something failed to load (offline, server error, permission denied). Clear cause, clear recovery, clear retry path.
Network and permissions5 Elements of a Great Empty State
Every empty state that converts has the same five elements. Miss any of them and the empty state feels broken instead of inviting.
A friendly illustration or icon
A visual element that signals “this is the right screen, just nothing here yet.” Avoid generic icons (a folder with a slash through it). Use illustrations that match your brand and hint at what users can create.
A clear, conversational headline
Not “No items” or “Empty list.” Use a sentence that signals invitation: “Save your first recipe,” “Add your first contact,” “Find something to bookmark.” The headline tells users this state is temporary and shows them how to fix it.
A short supporting subtitle
One sentence explaining the value of taking action. “Save recipes to find them faster next time” is better than “Add items here.” Tell users why they would want to take the action, not just how.
One primary action button
The single most likely next step, made obvious. Not a list of options. Not just an icon. A real button with a verb. “Start Exploring.” “Find Recipes.” “Invite a Friend.” One button beats five every time.
An optional secondary path
For users who do not want the primary action. A small “or browse popular” link. A “skip for now” option. This catches users who would otherwise bounce, without overwhelming the primary CTA.
Empty State Copy: Hostile vs Helpful
The wording on an empty state changes how users feel about your entire app. Cold technical copy makes the app feel broken. Friendly inviting copy makes the same screen feel like the start of a journey.
Industry Empty States: 6 Verticals
Different industries have different empty state needs. The same “empty cart” pattern that works for retail fails completely for healthcare. Match the empty state to the vertical’s emotional tone.
Empty Cart, Empty Menu
Use food photography or an illustrated dish. Suggest popular items. Time-sensitive prompts (lunch specials) work well.
“Hungry? Browse today’s menu”Empty Cart, No Orders Yet
Show trending products. Highlight deals. Time-sensitive content (limited offers) drives faster first purchase.
“Your cart is empty. See what’s trending”No Workouts Logged
Encouraging tone, not judgmental. Suggest beginner-friendly first actions. Avoid streak language until users have something.
“Ready to start? Log your first activity”No Trips Saved
Aspirational. Show inspiring destinations. The empty state is a great place to surface popular trips or seasonal offers.
“Plan your next adventure”Empty Project, No Tasks
Practical. Show templates or examples. Productivity users want to get to work fast; minimize friction to first item.
“Start with a template or create from scratch”Real Customer Teardowns: 4 Successful Apps
Here is how four real businesses on Appy Pie AI design their empty states and what it does for first-time engagement.
Memorial Tacos · United States · Food & Beverage
The cart empty state that drives first orders
Memorial Tacos shows real menu items the moment a user opens the cart for the first time. No “Your cart is empty” message. Just a friendly “Add your favorites” headline above a horizontal scroll of popular dishes. The user can tap any item to add it directly to the cart, going from empty to filled in two taps.
“Appy Pie AI gave us the freedom to own our customer relationships and reduce fees.”
VintPets · Germany · Social/Community
The empty feed that converts browsers into posters
When a new VintPets user lands in the community feed, they do not see “No posts yet.” They see live posts from existing members, with a soft “Share your pet’s story” prompt at the top. The empty state for their own profile is similarly inviting: “Add your first pet photo to start your journal.” This pattern converted exploration into participation.
“We wanted a simple way to bring animal lovers together without building from scratch.”
Woodloch Resort · United States · Hospitality
The empty schedule that becomes a discovery tool
Woodloch’s app has a “My Schedule” section that starts empty for every guest. Instead of “No activities booked,” the empty state shows today’s available activities with a tap-to-add interaction. Empty becomes a directory of options. Guests discover and book activities they would have otherwise missed.
“Guests found it convenient to access everything.”
DO Max · Netherlands · Entertainment
The empty playlist that recommends what to watch
DO Max users have an empty “My List” the first time they open the app. The empty state surfaces curated picks based on what is popular in their region, with a single “Add to My List” tap. This pattern made first-session engagement measurably stronger and contributed to the 28% increase in average session duration after push integration.
“Having our own app helped us bring everything together in one place for users.”
Across all four apps, the pattern is identical. The empty state is treated as an onboarding moment, not an error. Each one surfaces real options the user can act on immediately. None of them shows a generic “No items yet” message.
How Appy Pie AI Handles Empty States
If you build with Appy Pie AI AI App Generator, the platform applies smart empty state defaults out of the box. New apps come with friendly first-use empty states, helpful copy, and clear CTAs. You can customize all of it from the editor without coding.
What this looks like in practice
When the AI generates your app, it sets up empty states for every list, feed, and section based on your category. A restaurant app gets food-themed empty states. A community app gets people-themed ones. A productivity app gets task-themed defaults. The AI also chooses an empty state copy tone that matches your brand.
As the AI builds the app, it populates initial sections with sample structure so users do not face fully blank screens on first launch. This is the “sample data” pattern in action.
Once the structure is built, the editor shows you the actual content that will appear when users open the app. You can customize each empty state’s copy, illustration, and CTA from the same panel.
The AI even generates appropriate sample content for the filled state, so you can preview both your empty state design and your normal state design side by side.
Testing Empty States on a Real Phone
The QR code preview in the editor is the fastest way to verify your empty states feel right on real hardware. Scan the QR code, open your app on your phone, and try to use it without creating any content. The empty states you see are what your real users will see on day one.
7 Empty State Mistakes That Cost Conversions
These are the empty state issues we see most often in apps that struggle with first-day activation. Each one has a fast fix.
1. Showing a completely blank screen
The single worst empty state is the one your app shows by default before you design anything. A blank container with no message and no CTA tells the user something is broken. Always design a custom empty state for every list, feed, and section.
2. Using “No items found” or “0 results”
These messages are technically accurate and conversationally hostile. Replace every instance with a sentence that signals invitation and shows the user what to do next.
3. No primary action button
An empty state without a CTA is a dead end. Every empty state needs a single button that gets the user moving. Even error states need a “Try again” or “Go home” action.
4. Generic stock illustrations
A magnifying glass with a “No results” label looks like every other app. Use illustrations that match your brand. If you cannot afford custom illustrations, use icons and brand colors instead of stock vector art.
5. Too many options
Three buttons on an empty state (“Browse,” “Search,” “Recommend”) split user attention. Pick the single most likely next action and feature it prominently. Add one secondary path as a quiet link below if needed.
6. Identical copy across every empty state
“You haven’t added anything yet” applied to favorites, history, notifications, and search is lazy design. Each empty state has a different cause and needs different copy. Custom copy takes 30 minutes; the conversion impact lasts the life of the app.
7. Forgetting zero-result and error states
Most teams design the first-use empty state but forget about zero-result searches and error states. These also need helpful copy, clear CTAs, and a way forward. Audit every screen where data might be missing or fail to load.
Free Tools and Templates for Empty States
You do not need a custom illustrator to design great empty states. The tools and resources below are free and used by professional product teams.
Illustration Libraries
- unDraw: Free, customizable illustrations in any color. Perfect for empty states because you can match your brand color in one click
- Humaaans: Mix-and-match people illustrations. Great for social and community apps
- Blush: Customizable illustrations from various artists, free tier available
- Storyset: Free animated and static illustrations
Icon Libraries
- Heroicons: Free SVG icons from Tailwind makers. Works great for icon-led empty states
- Lucide: Beautiful and consistent icon library
- Phosphor: 6 weights of every icon, great for matching brand mood
Pattern Galleries
- EmptyStat.es: Curated empty state examples from real apps
- Pttrns: Mobile design patterns including empty states
- Mobbin: Searchable database of mobile screens including empty states
Frequently Asked Questions About App Empty States
What is an app empty state?
An empty state is any screen in your app that has no content to display. The most common types are first-use empty states (new user has not created anything), zero-result empty states (search or filter returns nothing), and error empty states (data failed to load).
Why do empty states matter so much?
Empty states are the most-seen screens in your app for new users. Every section, every list, every feature shows an empty state before the user adds something. Activation rate is largely a function of how well your empty states convert exploration into first action.
What should an empty state include?
Five elements: a friendly illustration or icon, a conversational headline, a short supporting subtitle explaining the value, one primary CTA button, and an optional secondary path. Miss any of these and the empty state feels broken instead of inviting.
What is the difference between an empty state and a loading state?
A loading state is temporary. The content is on its way; the user just needs to wait a moment. An empty state is persistent until the user takes action. Confusing the two leads to apps that show “loading” forever when they should be saying “tap here to start.”
Should empty states use illustrations or icons?
Either works. Illustrations feel warmer and more on-brand. Icons feel cleaner and more utility-focused. Match the choice to your app’s overall design language. For broader design topics, see our app icon design guide.
What is the worst empty state design?
A blank screen with no message and no CTA. Users assume the app is broken. The second worst is a screen with “No items” and no action. Always include a clear next step in every empty state, even error states.
How do I write good empty state copy?
Read it aloud. If it sounds like an error message (“No data,” “0 results”), rewrite it. If it sounds like a friend giving directions (“Try this,” “Start with”), you are on the right track. Conversational beats technical every time.
Should I use sample data in empty states?
Yes, when possible. Showing curated examples (popular recipes, trending products, suggested friends) gives users immediate value and a clear path to act. This pattern converts exploration into action much faster than pure “Add your first item” prompts.
Can Appy Pie AI generate empty states automatically?
Yes. Appy Pie AI App Generator creates smart empty states based on your app’s category. Restaurant apps get food-themed empty states. Community apps get people-themed ones. You can customize all the copy, illustrations, and CTAs from the editor.
How do I test empty states before launch?
Use a fresh device or fresh user account. Open every section of your app without creating any content. The empty states you see are what real users see on day one. For more pre-launch testing patterns, see our guide to AI app builders.
Turn Empty Screens Into First Actions
Build an app with smart empty state defaults. Appy Pie AI sets up friendly first-use states, helpful copy, and clear CTAs by default. Customize from the editor.
Try App BuilderAI App GeneratorTreat Empty States Like Onboarding, Not Errors.
The fundamentals are simple. Identify every empty state in your app. Give each one a friendly illustration, a conversational headline, a clear CTA, and an optional secondary path. Replace every “No items found” with something inviting. Test on a fresh account before launch. Memorial Tacos turns empty carts into first orders. VintPets turns empty feeds into engaged communities. Woodloch turns empty schedules into activity discovery. Your empty states can do the same. Build smarter with our complete app creation guide or check our app onboarding best practices guide for the flow that leads into empty states.
Start Building Your App →