Aglet

Investigate notification inbox empty states with history traces

An investigation should explain why no notification rows appear and whether a useful recovery exists. Replay first use, caught-up, filtered, and unavailable states, compare direct links and filters, and keep copy in the evidence. Do not infer missing history from a blank list alone.

Build a useful investigation brief

  1. Build the empty matrix

    List account state, notification history, read status, filter, date range, scope, route, copy, actions, and destination for each empty case. Include a populated control and a filter that excludes all rows.

  2. Trace one recovery

    Clear a filter, broaden scope, open history, or revisit settings and compare rows, heading, URL, and message. Record whether the action changes the reason or merely moves the blank state. Keep first-use guidance separate from caught-up copy.

  3. Write the empty brief

    State first boundary, reason classification, affected routes, and competing explanations. Recommend one bounded copy or recovery experiment with a pass condition. If history availability is unknown, say so rather than promising that no events exist.

What to carry forward

The investigation is complete when empty reasons and recovery paths are reproducible, or the first unavailable boundary is explicit. Stop with one experiment. Keep filtered and first-use states separate because they require different next actions.

Technical background: W3C guidance.

Keep the decision with the work.

Use a Work Item in Aglet to record the problem, the evidence you have, and the next decision. Add an owner and priority, then keep updates in the discussion so the next person can follow the reasoning.

Create an account See the product workflow