diff --git a/src/components/experiment-list/experiment-list-element.js b/src/components/experiment-list/experiment-list-element.js
index 7e1170fb9e5af245d14c9ac2f3354fa11983489d..1734b1caae2ca8b03c2cd751d30a2bdf5624f4af 100644
--- a/src/components/experiment-list/experiment-list-element.js
+++ b/src/components/experiment-list/experiment-list-element.js
@@ -17,7 +17,9 @@ const SHORT_DESCRIPTION_LENGTH = 200;
 export default class ExperimentListElement extends React.Component {
   constructor(props) {
     super(props);
-    this.state = {};
+    this.state = {
+      showSimDetails: true
+    };
 
     //TODO: put in service?
     this.canLaunchExperiment = (this.props.experiment.private && this.props.experiment.owned) ||
@@ -164,8 +166,8 @@ export default class ExperimentListElement extends React.Component {
             }}>
               <div className='btn-group' role='group' >
                 {this.canLaunchExperiment &&
-                  exp.configuration.experimentFile && exp.configuration.bibiConfSrc
-                  ? <button onClick={() => {
+                  exp.configuration.experimentFile && exp.configuration.bibiConfSrc ?
+                  <button onClick={() => {
                     ExperimentExecutionService.instance.startNewExperiment(exp, false);
                   }}
                   disabled={this.isLaunchDisabled()}
@@ -177,74 +179,76 @@ export default class ExperimentListElement extends React.Component {
 
                 {this.canLaunchExperiment && config.brainProcesses > 1 &&
                   this.props.availableServers.length > 0 &&
-                  exp.configuration.experimentFile && exp.configuration.bibiConfSrc
-
-                  ? <button className='btn btn-default'>
+                  exp.configuration.experimentFile && exp.configuration.bibiConfSrc ?
+                  <button className='btn btn-default'>
                     <i className='fa fa-plus'></i> Launch in Single Process Mode
                   </button>
                   : null}
 
                 {this.canLaunchExperiment && this.props.availableServers.length > 1 &&
-                  exp.configuration.experimentFile && exp.configuration.bibiConfSrc
-
-                  ? <button className='btn btn-default' >
+                  exp.configuration.experimentFile && exp.configuration.bibiConfSrc ?
+                  <button className='btn btn-default' >
                     <i className='fa fa-layer-group'></i> Launch Multiple
                   </button>
                   : null}
 
                 {/* isPrivateExperiment */}
-                {this.canLaunchExperiment
-                  ? <button className='btn btn-default'>
+                {this.canLaunchExperiment ?
+                  <button className='btn btn-default'>
                     <i className='fa fa-times'></i> Delete
                   </button>
                   : null}
 
                 {/* Records button */}
-                {this.canLaunchExperiment
-                  ? <button className='btn btn-default'>
+                {this.canLaunchExperiment ?
+                  <button className='btn btn-default'>
                     <i className='fa fa-sign-in'></i> Recordings »
                   </button>
                   : null}
 
                 {/* Export button */}
-                {this.canLaunchExperiment
-                  ? <button className='btn btn-default'>
+                {this.canLaunchExperiment ?
+                  <button className='btn btn-default'>
                     <i className='fa fa-file-export'></i> Export
                   </button>
                   : null}
 
                 {/* Simulations button */}
-                {this.canLaunchExperiment && exp.joinableServers.length > 0
-                  ? <button className='btn btn-default' >
+                {this.canLaunchExperiment && exp.joinableServers.length > 0 ?
+                  <button className='btn btn-default'
+                    onClick={() => {
+                      this.setState({ showSimDetails: !this.state.showSimDetails });
+                    }}>
                     <i className='fa fa-sign-in'></i> Simulations »
                   </button>
                   : null}
 
                 {/* Clone button */}
                 {config.canCloneExperiments && (!exp.configuration.privateStorage ||
-                  (exp.configuration.experimentFile && exp.configuration.bibiConfSrc))
-                  ? <button className='btn btn-default'>
+                  (exp.configuration.experimentFile && exp.configuration.bibiConfSrc)) ?
+                  <button className='btn btn-default'>
                     <i className='fa fa-pencil-alt'></i> Clone
                   </button>
                   : null}
 
                 {/* Files button */}
-                {this.canLaunchExperiment
-                  ? <button className='btn btn-default' >
+                {this.canLaunchExperiment ?
+                  <button className='btn btn-default' >
                     <i className='fa fa-list-alt'></i> Files
                   </button>
                   : null}
 
                 {/* Shared button */}
-                {this.canLaunchExperiment
-                  ? <button className='btn btn-default'>
+                {this.canLaunchExperiment ?
+                  <button className='btn btn-default'>
                     <i className='fas fa-share-alt'></i> Share
                   </button>
                   : null}
               </div>
             </div>
           }
-          {this.state.selected /*&& exp.joinableServers.length > 0*/ ?
+
+          {this.state.selected && exp.joinableServers.length > 0 && this.state.showSimDetails ?
             <SimulationDetails simulations={exp.joinableServers} />
             : null
           }
diff --git a/src/components/experiment-list/experiment-list.css b/src/components/experiment-list/experiment-list.css
index 4921e81fae032a0bc82734757ad58f17aaf364bd..be1ab3c776ebb0ba1949c127d78177b43a552477 100644
--- a/src/components/experiment-list/experiment-list.css
+++ b/src/components/experiment-list/experiment-list.css
@@ -16,4 +16,10 @@ li.nostyle {
     grid-area: experiments;
     color: black;
     background-color: white;
+}
+
+.no-items-notification {
+    margin: 10px;
+    font-size: 1.5em;
+    font-weight: bold;
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/components/experiment-list/experiment-list.js b/src/components/experiment-list/experiment-list.js
index 9cfd676aa06716cedbfc8326be77f3e2a915bdfd..737af9e60ef2c1c7145aca46898ab26da135287b 100644
--- a/src/components/experiment-list/experiment-list.js
+++ b/src/components/experiment-list/experiment-list.js
@@ -10,19 +10,19 @@ export default class ExperimentList extends React.Component {
     return (
       <div className='experiment-list-wrapper'>
         <div className='experiment-list'>
-          <ImportExperimentButtons />
-          <ol>
-            {this.props.experiments.map(experiment => {
-              return (
-                <li key={experiment.id} className='nostyle'>
-                  <ExperimentListElement experiment={experiment}
-                    availableServers={this.props.availableServers}
-                    startingExperiment={this.props.startingExperiment} />
-                </li>
-              );
-            }
-            )}
-          </ol>
+          {this.props.experiments.length === 0 ?
+            <div className='no-items-notification'>List is currently empty ...</div> :
+            <ol>
+              {this.props.experiments.map(experiment => {
+                return (
+                  <li key={experiment.id} className='nostyle'>
+                    <ExperimentListElement experiment={experiment}
+                      availableServers={this.props.availableServers}
+                      startingExperiment={this.props.startingExperiment} />
+                  </li>
+                );
+              })}
+            </ol>}
         </div>
       </div>
     );
diff --git a/src/services/experiments/execution/experiment-execution-service.js b/src/services/experiments/execution/experiment-execution-service.js
index 360347b4cd7b0ca6bfbae0afec13d6982f09a9d0..c12d93c2dca2077ea76b04a83fffca22e331b1eb 100644
--- a/src/services/experiments/execution/experiment-execution-service.js
+++ b/src/services/experiments/execution/experiment-execution-service.js
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ class ExperimentExecutionService extends HttpService {
 
     //TODO: placeholder, register actual progress callback later
     let progressCallback = (msg) => {
-      console.info(msg);
+      //console.info(msg);
     };
 
     let launchOnNextServer = async () => {
@@ -157,10 +157,10 @@ class ExperimentExecutionService extends HttpService {
         .then((simulation) => {
           ExperimentServerService.instance.initConfigFiles(serverURL, simulation.simulationID)
             .then(() => {
-              ExperimentExecutionService.instance.emit(ExperimentExecutionService.EVENTS.START_EXPERIMENT, undefined);
               let simulationURL = 'esv-private/experiment-view/' + server + '/' + experimentID + '/' +
                 privateExperiment + '/' + simulation.simulationID;
               resolve(simulationURL);
+              ExperimentExecutionService.instance.emit(ExperimentExecutionService.EVENTS.START_EXPERIMENT, undefined);
             })
             .catch(reject);
         })
diff --git a/src/services/experiments/execution/experiment-server-service.js b/src/services/experiments/execution/experiment-server-service.js
index 3e31b5dbf5eb06cec2b0d1dcc304630ee8b1e6b9..b9f17b2a4f8fb83864d3e797837f50794939681c 100644
--- a/src/services/experiments/execution/experiment-server-service.js
+++ b/src/services/experiments/execution/experiment-server-service.js
@@ -17,9 +17,9 @@ let _instance = null;
 const SINGLETON_ENFORCER = Symbol();
 
 let rosConnections = new Map();
-const SLURM_MONITOR_POLL_INTERVAL = 5000;
-const POLL_INTERVAL_SERVER_AVAILABILITY = 3000;
-const CHECK_SIMULATION_READY_INTERVAL = 1000;
+const INTERVAL_POLL__SLURM_MONITOR = 5000;
+const INTERVAL_POLL_SERVER_AVAILABILITY = 3000;
+const INTERVAL_CHECK_SIMULATION_READY = 1000;
 let clusterAvailability = { free: 'N/A', total: 'N/A' };
 
 /**
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ class ExperimentServerService extends HttpService {
     }
 
     //TODO: a bit too much code for a constructor, move into its own function
-    this.clusterAvailabilityObservable = timer(0, SLURM_MONITOR_POLL_INTERVAL)
+    this.clusterAvailabilityObservable = timer(0, INTERVAL_POLL__SLURM_MONITOR)
       .pipe(switchMap(() => {
         try {
           return this.httpRequestGET(slurmMonitorURL);
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ class ExperimentServerService extends HttpService {
       () => {
         this.getServerAvailability(true);
       },
-      POLL_INTERVAL_SERVER_AVAILABILITY
+      INTERVAL_POLL_SERVER_AVAILABILITY
     );
   }
 
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ class ExperimentServerService extends HttpService {
               verifySimulation();
             }
           }).catch(reject);
-        }, CHECK_SIMULATION_READY_INTERVAL);
+        }, INTERVAL_CHECK_SIMULATION_READY);
       };
 
       verifySimulation();
@@ -239,6 +239,7 @@ class ExperimentServerService extends HttpService {
     });
   };
 
+  //TODO: maybe move to separate simulation-status-service
   async getSimulationState(serverURL, simulationID) {
     let url = serverURL + '/simulation/' + simulationID + '/state';
     try {
diff --git a/src/services/experiments/storage/experiment-storage-service.js b/src/services/experiments/storage/experiment-storage-service.js
index ea88adb6092a5d74353843626721f3b34fc5c868..a63038cff7c8a97e4a7812ca8531bfb4d731a116 100644
--- a/src/services/experiments/storage/experiment-storage-service.js
+++ b/src/services/experiments/storage/experiment-storage-service.js
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ class ExperimentStorageService extends HttpService {
    * them in the experiments class property. If the experiments are already
    * there it just returns them, else does an HTTP request.
    *
+   * @param {boolean} forceUpdate forces an update of the list
    * @return experiments - the list of template experiments
    */
   async getExperiments(forceUpdate = false) {
@@ -74,6 +75,7 @@ class ExperimentStorageService extends HttpService {
       this.experiments = await response.json();
       this.sortExperiments();
       await this.fillExperimentDetails();
+      console.info('experiment lsit update');
       this.emit(ExperimentStorageService.EVENTS.UPDATE_EXPERIMENTS, this.experiments);
     }