Empty State Design for Education App: Roundout
Roundout - All-rounder Tool to Organize Educational Materials
Roundout is the go-to platform for students seeking study buddies, eager to connect with peers who share their academic interests, discover study materials, and engage with fellow learners from across the globe.
Empty State for #1 Screen from left:
Rationale: To provide an immediate call-to-action for new users or users who haven't enrolled in any courses yet.
Purpose: This screen aims to encourage users to explore and enroll in courses by presenting an inviting message accompanied by friendly illustration that represents learning together. The "Find the one that's perfect for you!" copy is encouraging users to take the step to discover courses that suit their interests or needs.
Empty State for #2 Screen from left:
Rationale: To prompt users to start building their personal collection of learning materials.
Purpose: The empty library screen uses approachable illustrations and a message that highlights the benefit of having resources. The "Discover Resources" button serves as a CTA button, that guides users to add content to the find resources tab.
Empty State for #3 Screen:
Rationale: To encourage community building and collaborative learning among users.
Purpose: The user's study group screen appears to be empty but the button below the CTA tells us that the invitation is already sent to this user by us. The message, "Looks like this user hasn't joined a study group yet," along with the visual, conveys a sense of opportunity and potential growth that comes from collaborative learning.
Each empty state screen is carefully crafted to not only inform the user of the lack of content or participation but also to actively engage and guide them towards taking meaningful actions that enhance their educational experience on the platform. Thanks to the illustrations, the platform feel alive and dynamic, even in the absence of content or connections, thus maintaining user interest and encouraging exploration.
Illustration credits go to talented Iwat1929
Reviews
5 reviews
You did a great job communicating all the empty states, and I love your reasoning and explanations. I think overall the designs come out very effective and straightforward.
A few things to improve:
- Consistency: Love the "Discover Resources" CTA, seems the courses page can benefit from the same approach
- Consistency: Resources or Materials, on the same screen you have different names for the same thing.
- Remove redundancies: You already have a good copy in headlines for empty state pages, secondary text makes it look heavy and not required from my point of view.
Great job, Elene! 🙌 I really like how you framed each empty state with a clear rationale and purpose — it shows solid product thinking, not just visuals. The illustrations definitely keep the experience warm and engaging. One suggestion would be to tighten consistency across naming (e.g., “resources” vs. “materials”) and CTA wording so the flow feels seamless. Also, trimming down secondary text could make the screens feel lighter and more action-focused. Overall, a very thoughtful and user-centered execution! 🚀
I really like the details, that you not only included the menu on the bottom but also on top. Great work!
Hi Elene, this really inspires me! Love everything about it and I wish Goodreads would look like this one day! :D
The empty state screens in Roundout are thoughtfully designed and do a great job of balancing both function and aesthetics. They are user-centric, encouraging exploration and action while maintaining a friendly and approachable visual tone. The use of illustrations adds a lot of personality to the app, making it feel lively even when there is no content. The screens manage to stay dynamic and engaging, ensuring users feel motivated to take action rather than discouraged by the emptiness.
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