State not found

Often as developers, we know how our application functions and moves. My grandmother won't know why "her phone is broken" without some help. Design it for her.

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Most users aren't as technical as you.

Design shouldn't need an explanation, it should be simple. If the app doesn't give users feedback, it isn't working.

What's the difference between a search with no results and an error? How will your user know the difference?

A "perceived bug" is a bug, it's just a design bug.

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Examples of blank states

• User searches for something that doesn't exist.
• User has an empty table without content.
• Placeholders or labels aren't clear or they are hidden while input is focused.

These are all frustrating points for a user.

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Visual blank state example

Spotify:
Imagine searching for a song and Spotify gives you a blank screen with no feedback on what happened.

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Always give users feedback

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Additional Resources

I highly recommend Refactoring UI. I'm not the best designer, but this book has helped me a lot in how I think about UI/UX.

Refactoring UI: https://refactoringui.com/
Here's an article describing more about blank states: https://www.innertrends.com/blog/blank-state-examples

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Closing

Go and make better blank states!

My snack pack reads are intended for a quick read without any fluff, BS, or needless clickbait.

What is your favorite blank state?

• Facebook's animated cards while loading
• Twitter's "What's happening?" text area for blank tweets
• Is there a really good one I'm missing?