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Empty State Onboarding UX Effectiveness Survey

Evaluates how effectively empty-state screens communicate value, guide first actions, and support onboarding for new or reset users. Use after a user's first session to identify friction points and optimize empty-state design.

Sample questions

A preview of what’s in the template. Every question is editable before you launch.

22 questions · ~10 min
Q01
Message

Welcome, and thank you for participating! This brief survey asks about your experience with empty states during today's session. It should take about 10 minutes. Your participation is completely voluntary, and you may stop at any time. There are no right or wrong answers — we are interested in your honest opinions. All responses are confidential and will be reported in aggregate only. Your feedback will be used to improve our onboarding experience.

Q02
Multiple Choice

Which platform did you primarily use for today's session?

  • Web (desktop/laptop)
  • Mobile web (browser on phone)
  • iOS app
  • Android app
  • Other
Q03
Multiple Choice

During today's session, did you encounter any empty states (screens with no content yet, such as an empty dashboard or blank project)?

  • Yes, several
  • Yes, at least one
  • No
  • Not sure
Q04
Opinion Scale

Thinking about the empty state(s) you encountered, how well did they explain the feature's value or purpose?

Scale: 17
Min:Not at all wellMax:Extremely well
Q05
Opinion Scale

How confident were you about what to do next after seeing the empty state?

Scale: 17
Min:Not at all confidentMax:Extremely confident
Q06
Ranking

Please rank the following ways to help you get started, from most to least helpful.

  1. Guided checklist
  2. Pre-filled sample data
  3. Short video or tour
  4. Templates to choose from
  5. One-click default setup
  6. Contextual tips or tooltips
Drag to rank
Q07
Opinion Scale

Based on today's experience, how likely are you to continue using this product?

Scale: 17
Min:Not at all likelyMax:Extremely likely
Q08
Long Text

Based on your responses in this survey, please share any additional thoughts or feelings about your empty-state experience today.

Q09
Dropdown

Which role best describes you?

  • Product management
  • Design / UX
  • Engineering / Development
  • Data / Analytics
  • Marketing / Sales
  • Operations / Support
  • Student
  • Other
  • Prefer not to say
Q10
Message

Thank you for your time and thoughtful feedback! Your responses will help us improve the onboarding experience.

Q11
Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes your account status before today?

  • Brand-new account
  • Reset or cleared data on an existing account
  • Returning user starting a new project or space
  • Not sure
Q12
Multiple Choice

Which of the following next actions did the empty state(s) suggest? Select all that apply.

  • Create or upload something
  • Connect an integration
  • Invite teammates or collaborators
  • Explore a template or library
  • Watch a tutorial
  • View sample data or a demo
  • Adjust settings or configuration
  • None / no suggestion
  • Other
Q13
Opinion Scale

How clear was the headline or main message in the empty state?

Scale: 17
Min:Not at all clearMax:Extremely clear
Q14
Multiple Choice

What did you do immediately after seeing the empty state?

  • Took the suggested action
  • Did something else in the product
  • Looked for help or documentation
  • Left the product for now
Q15
Opinion Scale

Overall, how would you rate the quality of the empty-state experience during today's session?

Scale: 17
Min:Very poorMax:Excellent
Q16
AI Interview

We'd love to understand your experience in more detail. An AI moderator will ask a couple of follow-up questions based on your earlier answers.

Q17
Dropdown

Where are you located?

  • North America
  • Europe
  • Asia
  • South America
  • Africa
  • Oceania
  • Prefer not to say
Q18
Dropdown

Before today, how familiar were you with this type of product?

  • Not at all familiar
  • Slightly familiar
  • Moderately familiar
  • Very familiar
  • Extremely familiar
Q19
Opinion Scale

How clear was the visual or illustration in the empty state?

Scale: 17
Min:Not at all clearMax:Extremely clear
Q20
Dropdown

What is your age range?

  • Under 18
  • 18–24
  • 25–34
  • 35–44
  • 45–54
  • 55–64
  • 65+
  • Prefer not to say
Q21
Opinion Scale

How clear was the call-to-action button or link in the empty state?

Scale: 17
Min:Not at all clearMax:Extremely clear
Q22
Opinion Scale

The text in the empty state was the right length for me to understand it.

Scale: 17
Min:Strongly disagreeMax:Strongly agree

What’s included

  • AI follow-ups

    Adaptive probes on open-ended answers that pull out detail a static form would miss.

  • Attention checks

    Built-in safeguards against rushed answers and low-quality respondents.

  • AI-drafted copy

    Wording, ordering, and branching written by the AI — tuned to your research goal.

  • Auto report

    Themes, quotes, and a plain-English summary write themselves once responses come in.

Ready to launch?

Open this template in the editor. Every part is yours to change before the first respondent sees it.