Designing Empty States: Decide What the Page Must Explain Before the Illustration

An empty dashboard can look unfinished when blank, yet an oversized illustration can make a serious app feel like a greeting card. The article argues that designers should first determine what the empty page needs to communicate. Using a bookmarks app, it contrasts a new-account state, which calls for a prompt to save a first link, with a no-search-results state, which calls for different guidance and a clear action. Illustrations should be tied to a specific state and kept simple, with a concise brief and a generation prompt suited to that context. Designers are advised to review the visual at its actual display size and to keep essential instructions in editable HTML text rather than inside the image.