How can you show a product's value, when there is nothing to see?
Most tools show you nothing at all when there is no data. After all, there is nothing to see!
In the real world, we never show nothing as nothing. For example, when buying an apartment building that is yet to be built, you don't look at pictures of empty space midair. Instead, you see visualizations of the promised apartment, in all it's glory, that will be there one day.
In software too, there is a fundamental danger in showing nothing. If users evaluate your tool in an environment that is "too healthy", they'll never see the value your tool can provide. How can you show your tools promise, at a moment when it isn't doing anything at all?
When designing Robusta.dev, we decided on a different approach. We wanted to convey the promise of what we can show you, without filling your production system with dummy data.
But whatever you do with your empty screens, do something! Don't leave users staring at an empty screen.