Empty states and activation patterns
9 data-backed questions on Empty states and activation patterns, from Lazyweb Research — each answer cites proprietary analysis of real, in-market app screens.
Which empty-state and activation patterns are most common in mobile apps?
Across 809 tracked apps, the plain empty state ("nothing here yet" / "no items") is the most widespread activation pattern, appearing in 373 apps (46%) [1]. Sample or demo content shows up in 100 app…
What percent of apps use a setup checklist after signup?
About 13% of tracked apps — 107 of 809 — ship a checklist-tagged activation screen [1]. That is a strict lower bound from tag matching; a broad "get started" matcher inflates to 413 apps (51%), but m…
How common is a dedicated cold-start (first-run) screen, and which apps use one?
A dedicated cold-start screen category — the purpose-built first-run/empty screen a brand-new user hits — spans 58 canonical screens across 107 apps, from 374 raw screenshots [1]. That makes it the s…
Sample content vs social seeding: which empty-state fill pattern is more common?
Sample or demo content is the more common way to fill an empty product: 100 apps use it (1,331 screenshots) versus 64 apps for social seeding (230 screenshots) [1]. Sample content leads in editor and…
What do top apps show a brand-new user on an empty home screen?
The most common answer is a plain empty state — 373 of 809 apps (46%) label the surface "nothing here yet" rather than pre-filling it [1]. The home surface itself is well-represented: 430 canonical h…
How do apps get a new user to their first meaningful action?
The evidence points to three main levers: a setup checklist (107 apps, 13%), pre-seeded sample content that gives users something to act on (100 apps), and social seeding that fills a feed (64 apps)…
Which app categories are most likely to use a setup checklist?
Among the 107 apps with a checklist-tagged screen, Health & Fitness leads with 19 apps, followed by News (10) and Productivity (8) [1]. Only these three categories clear N>=8, so per-category rates b…
Which app categories invest most in a dedicated cold-start screen?
Cold-start screenshots concentrate in Education (23) and Health & Fitness (17) — the only two categories that clear N>=8 [1]. Everything else (Magazines & Newspapers 6, Weather 5, News 5, and lower)…
On web/SaaS products, which in-product surfaces host empty states and first-run guidance?
Across 11,753 labeled desktop product screens, the in-product surfaces where empty states and first-run guidance live are, in order: editor (2,119), feed (1,252), dashboard (1,088), and onboarding (9…
