Make Facebook a Blank Slate Again

LarnTips for Creating a Blank Slate

The blank slate or "empty state" is when an application has no information. In other words, it'southward what an app looks like the kickoff time someone uses it. Not only is the blank slate a critical role of UX, just it tin can also be used to educate customers and increment their overall happiness with the experience.

The Bare Slate is the Kickoff Impression

The starting time fourth dimension y'all utilise an app, there are no posts, comments, status updates, notifications, or any of the things y'all might expect in an app that y'all've been using for a while. The first-run experience is when lasting impressions are made, which makes the blank slate one of the about important pieces of UX. It'due south an opportunity to educate your customers nigh how your app works and how information technology volition assistance them be awesome.

Afterward you've been using an app like Facebook for some time, yous'll outset to populate it with friends like Andrew.

A great app should make people experience similar they can conquer their goals with confidence. While you should provide outstanding customer support, yous should also strive to make your app so easy-to-use that customers feel pride in their own self-reliance. The blank slate is your greatest opportunity to educate customers because information technology's when they're the most engaged. They've probably just paid y'all coin (or they're considering paying, in the example of a free trial or in-app purchases) and they want to brand sure they're getting the most out of their difficult-earned greenbacks. This is your moment to demonstrate how your app tin give them super powers.

Brainwash Customers in Small Bits

The blank slate should educate (it rhymes, and so it must exist true) through articulate and communicative design. Unfortunately, educating people is hard. Most customers don't want to read an education manual before they start using a web app or a mobile app, and they shouldn't have to. They should exist able to just become started. This means that a blank slate is more than a unmarried screen. Rather, information technology'south all-time constructed every bit a steady stream of seize with teeth sized information that allows them to learn nearly the app while simultaneously using it to accomplish their goals. Each action should build on the last.

In the sidebar of the Treehouse Forum, in that location'southward guidance about how to get answers and how to go technical aid if you need information technology.

Highlight What'due south Unique

When a customer hits your app for the offset time, the things that they've never seen before will stand out offset. Fortunately, these unique features also tend to exist the most important parts that make your app special. The design of the blank slate should break down these abstruse ideas and imbue them with functional utility so that customers can move on and do slap-up things. Don't be afraid to add together a little extra help text or a small picture in these areas. It'southward really important that they get the right idea the start time.

Use Dummy Data

Earlier presenting the customer with a "blank" screen (which, as we've learned, isn't really bare), it can be helpful to show them what the screen will look like after they've used the app for some fourth dimension. This type of instruction usually happens in the marketing, before the customer has logged in for the showtime time. Still, later on login, it may even so be helpful to show a screenshot or an overlay to give them an idea of what the app will expect like presently.

This is an image from the Treehouse Features page. In this analogy, potential new students tin get an idea of what their profile might wait like after they've been using Treehouse for a bit.

Make the Side by side Action Obvious

On a screen with no information, you should tell the customer exactly what they can do to populate that screen with information. This could exist as elementary as drawing an arrow to an important area of the screen or presenting the client with a single button that allows them to get started.

Beyond the starting time-run experience, there might exist instances where your application only runs out of user generated content. In these instances, try your all-time to conceptualize what the customer might want to practise adjacent. Requite them simple and immediate admission to the next action.

Buffer is an app that allows you to schedule upcoming social media updates. If you don't have any updates in your queue, Buffer makes it piece of cake to add together new ones immediately.

Create Helpful Errors

Nothing is more frustrating than zooming through an app and then getting stuck. It will happen sooner or afterward, so when it does, brand certain that your mistake messages are meaningful and helpful. Identify the issue in plain language and then tell the client how they tin fix the problem or get more than assist if they demand information technology.

Apple's 404 page recommends the search functionality. Alternatively, the site visitor can get back on track quickly using 1 of the site links.

Virtually frequently this applies to form validation, merely the same concept stands for 404 pages and awarding errors. If your shiny new app hits a problem, try to recover gracefully past giving the client some options. Perhaps you can help them get back to the previous page, look for assist in a client support forum, or just become back to the abode page. As an bated, it's also a good idea to monitor when these instances occur in your app and then that you tin ready them speedily.

More Tips

Every app is unique in its ain way. If you take a great example of a blank slate or boosted tips you'd like to share, allow me know in the comments!

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Source: https://blog.teamtreehouse.com/tips-for-creating-a-blank-slate

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