Should You Add Feedback to SaaS Empty States?

Yes, an empty state can be a useful place to invite feedback, especially when people may be unsure what to do next. Keep the prompt optional and separate from the instructions that help them move forward. Ask what they expected to find or what would make the screen more useful, rather than assuming you know why they are stuck.

Help first, ask second

An empty state often has a practical job: explain what belongs on the page and show the next action. A feedback prompt should support that job, not compete with it. Keep the main call to action clear, such as “Create your first project”, and make sharing feedback an optional extra.

This matters for a small SaaS team because an empty screen can have several explanations. A new account may not have been set up yet. The user may lack permission, may have expected sample data, or may simply be exploring. A message can tell you what that person says they expected. It cannot, by itself, establish why every user leaves the page.

A hypothetical empty-state example

Imagine a project-management SaaS with a project list that is empty. The screen could say:

• No projects yet

• Create a project to organise your work and invite your team.

• Primary action: Create your first project

A separate, low-pressure invitation might read: “Something missing? Tell us what you expected to find or what would make this page more useful. Optional.” That wording asks about the person’s expectation without implying the product can diagnose the cause.

Choose a prompt that fits the page

Use a question that helps you decide what to inspect next. For a page with no saved reports, ask what the user expected to see. For a first-use dashboard, ask what they were trying to do. For a screen that needs data before it becomes useful, ask which starting example or setup step would help.

Keep the request short. A single open-text question is often enough to begin. Avoid asking for a long explanation, account details, or information you can already see in your product. If the issue needs troubleshooting, make it clear how the user can contact support instead of turning the feedback prompt into a support form.

Use feedback categories to interpret the message

A response about an empty state could describe a bug, a missing capability, or a request for clarification. Feedback Bubble lets visitors choose Issue, Idea, or Question. You can customise the widget’s wording, and submissions include page context to help you see where the message came from. That context can reduce follow-up questions, but it does not explain the user’s intent for you. See the current feature details.

Review responses as evidence, not instructions

One request can be a useful clue, but it is not a commitment to build. Read the message in context, look for related feedback, and consider whether the change fits the product’s purpose. If several people describe the same obstacle in different words, those messages may support one planned change. You still need to decide whether it is the right work to do.

Also check whether the empty state is doing its basic job. If the next step is unclear, improve the instructions or call to action rather than relying on visitors to report the problem. Feedback is most useful alongside your own review of the flow and, where appropriate, conversations with users or product analytics.

Keep the invitation easy to ignore

A floating feedback widget can give users a way to speak up without taking over the empty-state layout. Feedback Bubble uses a small installation script, and its installation guide covers HTML, Next.js, React, and WordPress. Page and device context can help you understand where a submission was made, but the visitor still needs to describe what they noticed or wanted. Check the installation instructions before adding a widget.

Try the prompt on one empty state first. Keep the next action prominent, make feedback optional, and review what people send before deciding whether the screen needs a wording change, a product change, or no change at all.