Write the empty state first

Most interfaces are designed for the day they are full. Real people meet them on the day they are empty, and that first screen decides whether they come back.

So I start there. I write the empty state before I draw the list. It forces a few honest questions: what is this for, what should happen first, and what would I say to a friend standing next to me.

The list usually gets simpler afterwards, because the empty state already told me which parts were never needed.