Think of an empty state as a safety net that catches you before the net breaks. Instead of a scary error, you give the user a calm “We’re still here” screen with a progress bar that says, “Hold on, something’s loading.” If the system fails, that same screen turns into a friendly “Oops, something went wrong” with a clear retry button. It keeps the experience feeling intentional, so the user isn’t left staring at a blank canvas, which can feel like a void. By designing the empty state to gracefully handle both “nothing yet” and “something went wrong,” you turn absence into reassurance.

That’s the sweet spot—like a coffee cup with a sturdy handle: no wobble, no fancy foam art that’s just noise. A solid retry button, plain text, somewhere you’re guaranteed to find it, is the safety strap. And logging? Think of it as leaving a breadcrumb trail so the team can follow it without tripping on empty space. When the UI stays minimal and honest, users feel like they’re in control, not chasing a phantom loading animation. Keep it simple, keep it reachable, keep it logged—your system will thank you, and so will the users.