For an app to display the right information to the right user at the right time, bits of data must be loaded to the screen and moved into position. This process can be complex and its results are not always predictable. When there is no data to display, what should the app do? What should it show? And how long should it wait? These are questions that empty state design tries to address.
Empty states in user experience design (UX) refers to the empty or blank space where there is no data to display or process on the UI side. They are also known as “error states” although technically, not all empty states are errors. They often appear when the user signs out, loses connections, or when working with location-based apps as much of the data that determines the content of a particular scene can’t be shown (like location if GPS is disabled).
Designing for empty states in user interfaces and user experience design is just as important as designing a product itself. If done right, you can mitigate your customer’s anxieties and even use the moment to provide them with added value!
Have you ever seen an application with a perfect empty state? If yes, then you probably want to make it yours. The reason is simple — a good empty state can help the user understand what they should do and where they should go. An awesome empty state design is hard to create, but not impossible. In this article, we have collected 10 of the best empty state illustrations that will help you to improve the user experience of your app or website. Enjoy.
Last updated: Feb 25, 2023
Empty State Illustrations Figma Set
A set of 29 cute illustrations for Empty State. Made in Figma app.
12 Empty States Icons
A set of 12 empty states illustrations: no images, no documents, no GPS connection, setup completed, Oops, no internet connections, inbox is empty, no results found, no messages, no credit cards, your cart is empty, and you’re all caught up.
Empty State Illustration Kit Figma
A set of 200+ illustrations for empty state design.
Error State Illustrations
A set of 30 cute and naughty illustrations for your next 404 page and error state design.
25 Empty State Illustrations
A set of pretty clean empty states illustrations in 5 categories: connectivity, e-commerce, message, social, and wallet.
8 Empty States Illustrations
A set of 8 carefully created and fully editable empty state illustrations: no message, no favorites, lost connection, result not found, no address yet, page not found, cart is empty, and no notification yet.
30 Colorful Empty State Illustrations
A set of 30 highly customizable empty state illustrations plus 7 beautiful templates for your next design.
9 Empty State Illustrations Sketch
A set of 9 minimal empty state illustrations for Adobe Sketch.
Empty State Illustration Kit
A collection of 25 empty state illustrations for your next web & mobile design. Includes lost connection, no notification, under maintenance, 404 not found, empty email box, welcome, file upload, file not found, no product, empty card, card rejected, no credits, card expired, and more.
Empty State Illustrations & Cards
A set of empty state illustrations, buttons, and cards in Figma format.
10 Line Art Empty State Illustrations
A set of 10 empty state illustrations: 404 not found, all tasks done, items deleted, etc.
See Also:
Conclusion:
There are many different types of interfaces. For now, let’s forget about desktop and UX/UI principles (there will be other posts about that). At this point, let’s just focus on empty states, which can be defined as a state of your application, whose purpose is to show the user why some parts of the app are not working.
These pages appear when an app is having technical issues (and the backend is down), for example. Moreover, it can happen when a user either logs out or closes an application and tries to get back to it later.
The idea behind those illustrations listed above is to create simple yet powerful designs that will make your application stand out from the others and convey a certain message to your users.
