A key action is prompted within the first session

If the UI does not point new users at the core value action, most will not find it. They will open the navigation, poke at settings, possibly create an empty project, and leave without experiencing what the product actually does. The user-experience taxon treats this as the activation gap: a product that works perfectly is worthless if first-session users cannot locate the feature that delivers the value they signed up for. Unguided empty dashboards are the single most common cause of first-session churn.

Replace the empty dashboard with a prominent empty-state card that names the core action and links straight to it. In src/app/(app)/dashboard/page.tsx, branch on whether the user has any items and render a CTA with headline, one-line description, and a primary button.

{projects.length === 0 && (
  <Card className="text-center p-12">
    <h2 className="text-xl font-semibold">Create your first project</h2>
    <p className="text-muted-foreground mt-2">Get started in under a minute.</p>
    <Button className="mt-4" asChild><Link href="/projects/new">Create project</Link></Button>
  </Card>
)}