Empty state
When there is nothing to show, say why, whether the source is working, and what to do next.
On this page
No vessels within 12 NM
An empty list on a vessel is information. "No traffic" can mean the sea is clear, or that the AIS receiver has stopped. An empty state always tells the crew which one it is, and what to do next. The specimens on this page are the kit's empty state.
Anatomy
- Mark: the kind's own, or the subject of the list from the iconography set.
- Title: what is empty, in a few words. Sentence case, no full stop.
- Description: why, and whether the source is working. One or two sentences.
- Actions (optional): one or two buttons or links, the main one first, each a verb.
The four kinds
| Kind | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
Empty (empty) | Nothing is recorded, or the source works and there is nothing in range | No vessels within 12 NM; No passage plans yet |
No results (no-results) | A search or a filter matched nothing | No entries match these filters |
Unavailable (unavailable) | The data cannot be shown here | No tide tables cover this water |
Done (done) | Nothing is left to do | No unacknowledged alerts |
A source that stops reporting is not an empty state: it is an alert, and its last data shows with its age, as the
data integrity rules say. An empty state is not a message either, so it wears no
message color: its mark is neutral, and a done state takes the success green on its mark only. A no-results
state is read out politely when it takes the place of the results while the crew type.
No passage plans yet
No entries match these filters
No tide tables cover this water
No unacknowledged alerts
Voice and tone
No vessels within 12 NM
No data
No log entries yet
Empty
Choose the state from evidence
Distinguish the first load, a successful empty result, a filter with no matches and a failed request. A spinner cannot establish that a list is empty. A filtered list should offer to clear its filters; an unconfigured list can offer its first setup action. Data that cannot be shown here says what is missing; a source that has stopped raises its alert and keeps its last data with its age.
Reports also need explicit absence: “No changes in this period” differs from “This period was not reviewed.” Do not fill a metric with zero or a diagram with example data to make an empty section look complete.