What did the empty screen suggest doing?
The action suggested by an empty screen reveals how users interpret the first step. Compare that interpretation with the actual available routes and prerequisites.
Product and software research / Survey guide
Product and software research · Practical survey guide
Empty state usability survey
Check guidance shown before users have content.
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YOUR DRAFTING BRIEF
Draft a questionnaire to help with this goal: Check guidance shown before users have content. Include neutral questions and allow people to skip situations they did not experience. Do not assume: Examples must not resemble actual customer data.
An example brief you can adapt. This preview does not call an AI service.
A useful starting point
Questions to understand the actual experience.
Check guidance shown before users have content. Use the prompts relevant to your audience and allow people to skip situations they did not encounter. Keep response handling consistent with what you explain in the invitation.
If nothing was unclear or difficult, say so. Skip questions about steps you did not experience; use not applicable where appropriate.
Which next step was unclear?
An unclear next step reveals whether the empty state connects the user's intended task to an available action. Provide accurate prerequisites and guidance, without presenting sample content as an already completed user task.
What example would help you begin?
A useful starting example identifies the context newcomers need to attempt their own task. Label samples clearly and avoid presenting them as work already created for the user.
If nothing was unclear or difficult, say so. Skip questions about steps you did not experience; use not applicable where appropriate. What did the empty screen suggest doing? Which next step was unclear? What example would help you begin?
Download the questions as text ↓
Examples to adapt, rather than a validated research instrument.
Before you send it
Check what your wording assumes.
Would you agree that everything about empty state usability was clear and easy?
What did the empty screen suggest doing?
The first wording combines an assumed positive outcome with two different judgments. The revised prompt asks about a specific experience and permits an inconvenient or uncertain answer.
Choose the response format
Make room for the explanation.
| Question | Suggested format | What to preserve |
|---|---|---|
| What did the empty screen suggest doing? | Optional short text | Retain the specific point or condition described; avoid replacing it with an unexplained rating. |
| Which next step was unclear? | Optional written explanation | Keep context that distinguishes different experiences. Examples must not resemble actual customer data. |
| What example would help you begin? | Optional improvement suggestion | Keep the suggested change separate from whether it has been tested. Explain the two starting routes separately. |
Make questions optional where appropriate. If you add a rating scale, label its endpoints, keep one idea per question, and retain a follow-up for reasons. These examples are not a validated measurement instrument.
From question to next step
Make the feedback useful.
Set the decision
Start with the decision: Check guidance shown before users have content.
Invite relevant voices
Invite people with relevant experience. Ask after someone has encountered the situation described in “What did the empty screen suggest doing?”, while they can still recall the details. For material testing, show the actual draft first; for planning, ask before the next relevant activity.
Choose an action
Explain the two starting routes separately.
A worked interpretation example
From a comment to a practical next step.
Illustrative scenario. These are not customer results.
Keep the finding specific
New users cannot distinguish creation from import actions.
Choose an action to test
Explain the two starting routes separately.
Check the experience again
After trying the change, repeat “What did the empty screen suggest doing?” with people who experienced it. Check whether they still describe the original issue: new users cannot distinguish creation from import actions. Compare explanations and sample context, rather than claiming the change caused an improvement.
Read the answers carefully
Keep the conclusion within the evidence.
Examples must not resemble actual customer data.
New users cannot distinguish creation from import actions. This is a synthetic example, not a customer result. Examples must not resemble actual customer data.
Before you send it
Questions, answered.
Who should receive this questionnaire?
Product users who attempted the described task. Ask only about steps each person encountered; do not treat a voluntary response sample as representative.
When should I ask these questions?
Ask after someone has encountered the situation described in “What did the empty screen suggest doing?”, while they can still recall the details. For material testing, show the actual draft first; for planning, ask before the next relevant activity.
What should I investigate in the answers?
New users cannot distinguish creation from import actions. This is an illustrative pattern to look for, not a claim about your respondents. Examples must not resemble actual customer data.
What would a practical follow-up look like?
Explain the two starting routes separately. After trying the change, repeat “What did the empty screen suggest doing?” with people who experienced it. Check whether they still describe the original issue: new users cannot distinguish creation from import actions. Compare explanations and sample context, rather than claiming the change caused an improvement.
How should I ask “Which next step was unclear?”?
An unclear next step reveals whether the empty state connects the user's intended task to an available action. Provide accurate prerequisites and guidance, without presenting sample content as an already completed user task. Use an optional written explanation when predefined choices would hide relevant context.
Can I use the questions in SurveyTeams?
Copy the prompts or download TXT, CSV, JSON, or a Markdown worksheet, then adapt them in your own survey. The CTA opens registration; it does not import this example automatically. Verify available features in your account.
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Draft your own empty state usability questionnaire.
Use these examples to draft your questionnaire. Create a survey draft, add questions, and check the respondent preview in SurveyTeams. Additional features depend on your account and plan.
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