About a decade ago, web developers started creating websites with the option for visitors to toggle into “dark mode,” where the entire site would instantly shift into a high-contrast design. Today, high-contrast design options are embedded into webpages and apps, and many people now prefer dark mode as their default setting.
High-contrast design isn’t new. In fact, it was how many of the first web pages were designed. When the internet was new, people loved creating web pages with light text on dark colored backgrounds. But back then, visitors didn’t have a choice to switch out of dark mode.
Although dark mode design has become popular, it’s more than just a trend. It’s a strategic tool developers and designers can leverage to improve usability, accessibility, and engagement. When done right, dark mode makes web pages easier to read, reduces cognitive strain, and can make products and services look sharp.
Let’s dig into the facts about why dark mode deserves more serious attention as part of a web designer’s effort to enhance user experience.
Dark mode can significantly reduce the visual fatigue people experience from staring at a screen for long periods of time, especially in environments with limited light. Users who prefer dark mode report less glare, fewer headaches, and more comfort when sites and apps use high contrast design. However, context is crucial. Factors that impact the experience include the ambient lighting, contrast ratios, and the display quality.
There are three main ways dark mode supports visual comfort:
· Reduced glare. The more light a screen emits, the more glare you’ll get. Dark mode causes screens to emit less light. Combined with a darker background, glare and reflection decrease. This effect is even better in low light conditions. The colors used for high contrast design softens the contrast between the screen and a user’s surroundings, making it easier for their eyes to adapt between light and dark. For people who use their devices at night or in poorly lit rooms, dark mode provides a more pleasant experience.
· Lower blue light exposure. Blue light disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm, causes eye fatigue, suppresses melatonin production, and messes with sleep cycles. Device screens naturally emit blue light, but dark mode reduces the amount enough for users to benefit. In fact, one study among students found that 79.7% of participants preferred dark mode on their phones.
· Improved readability in dim lighting. When lighting is low, reading bright text on a dark background is easier than the inverse. High contrast forces the pupils to dilate more, making it easier to discern all the elements on the page smoothly. In that case, lighter text pop out with less visual competition from their surroundings. However, if the contrast is too low (think text that looks dim compared to the background), readability suffers. The key to making dark mode work is keeping it high contrast.
While dark mode isn’t always the right choice, nor is it the only solution to eye strain issues, it’s a powerful tool in a web designer’s UX toolbox. For users who spend a lot of time on their devices – especially at night – dark mode makes a huge difference.
One of the strongest arguments for dark mode that isn’t obvious is the fact that it saves battery life on OLED and AMOLED displays. When a screen’s pixels are dark or off, they consume significantly less power. How much battery life gets saved is determined by how much of the user interface is dark, screen brightness, and whether images and bright elements are dominant. However, it can make a noticeable impact.
A Purdue University study found that at 100% screen brightness on OLED displays, dark mode can reduce power consumption by 67% compared to light mode. However, the study found only a 14% power savings at 30% brightness.
Most people don’t use their screens at full brightness. In more realistic conditions, like 30-50% brightness, dark mode saves around 3-9% of battery life. That may not sound like a big deal but over long sessions or frequent use, the cumulative effect is meaningful. This applies to content viewed in apps and web browsers.
As a web designer, you’re not just using dark mode to make websites and apps look good. It’s also about improving performance.
Dark mode can be especially helpful for people with visual impairments and sensitivities. But it’s not automatically more accessible. How you design elements like contrast, color choices, and alternative options matters.
Users with cataracts or light sensitivity often find bright screens painful. High contrast dark mode reduces the amount of light, helping with readability. This alone is one of the most compelling reasons to offer users the option of switching to dark mode.
Including dark mode isn’t just about adding a random option just in case some users want it. It’s about giving users a choice so your product doesn’t exclude or frustrate people who really need it.
Keep in mind that not all visual impairments are supported by dark mode. Users with astigmatism, light text on dark backgrounds can reduce readability, depending on the font size, typeface, and sharpness. The key is to test every design with the same assistive tech people actually use.
Websites and apps that offer dark mode can help reduce distractions to allow the most important content to stand out. But it also risks hiding things or reducing clarity if it’s not done strategically. Knowing how users process content and where their attention goes is essential. Here’s how dark mode impacts a user’s cognitive load:
· Emphasis and visual hierarchy. Dark backgrounds recede to allow brighter elements (like buttons and alerts) to pop out. This is crucial for guiding user attention. For instance, with dark-themed designs, primary calls to action or notifications stand out more than they would against a light, busy background.
· Reduced ambient distractions. Bright interfaces when users are in dark environments clash with their surroundings, creating contrast fatigue and mental strain. Dark mode reduces the visual noise on the screen and allows users to focus on one thing at a time.
· Task complexity and accuracy. Eye-tracking studies have found that users perform better on medium complexity tasks when using dark mode. This suggests that for certain workflows (like coding and reading dense documentation), dark mode might improve performance.
· One caveat: daylight and bright environments. Dark mode provides the most support when the ambient light is low. In bright daylight or outside, light mode is usually better. The ideal design strategy should include toggles or adaptivity based on the environment.
At the end of the day, dark mode can reduce cognitive strain and direct a user’s attention, but only when the design leverages contrast hierarchy and user context properly.
A high-contrast dark mode design can significantly influence how your product feels to users. It can influence emotions, perceptions of professionalism, and even how “premium” a brand comes across. Here’s how:
· Conveying sophistication and modernity. Dark, high contrast interfaces feel sleek, stylish, and high-end. Brands selling high-end content or products tend to lean toward dark modes because they align with user expectations of that full-immersion feel. This applies to many brands, including streaming services, gaming, and design tools.
· Mood and user sentiment. Dark mode evokes a relaxed, subdued mood that is excellent for late-night reading, immersive modes, and leisure. Some users simply prefer the vibe of dark mode. These emotional experiences can increase user satisfaction and brand loyalty.
· Differentiation and identity. Providing a polished design in dark mode can set a product apart from the competition. Many apps now support dark mode by default. When dark mode is a priority in your UI design, it becomes a brand asset with distinct visuals and consistent themes.
· The risk of lost brand colors and legibility. The downside to dark mode is that your brand colors, logo, and accent hues will look different. Some shades will become dull and others may clash. You’ll probably need to create new imagery just for dark mode designs to keep your branding consistent and recognizable.
Branding through dark mode is a powerful way to make an impression in your niche, as long as you don’t sacrifice readability for style.
Implementing dark mode as part of your normal UX/UI strategy takes planning. It’s not just a matter of creating a new design with darker colors. Web developers need to handle transitions, color palettes, asset variants, legacy UI components, and more. Overlooking these things can cause poor UX and frustrate users.
· Colors and contrast. Choosing a dark background is just the start of developing a good dark mode design. You also need to make sure text, icons, borders, shadows, and UI components are contrasted enough. Some colors that work on light backgrounds don’t work in dark mode. And if you look closely at brands that do it well, you’ll notice they don’t use pure black or pure white most of the time. They opt for dark charcoal and gray for large areas and slightly off white for text.
· Assets and imagery. Most images and logos are made for light backgrounds. On dark backgrounds they usually need modified versions. And it’s not enough to just use a transparent background. Some images that look great on a light background don’t look good against dark colors.
· Display types and device variability. Different devices display colors differently. For example, OLED, LCD, IPS, and HRD screens are different. You also need to account for screen calibration, viewing angles, and other factors that affect how dark mode appears to a user. What looks great on one device might look washed out on another. Testing across common devices is essential.
· Performance and rendering costs. When a design has complex shadows, transparency, and overlay effects, it can alter the rendering process. Transitions, animations, and resource calls need to be optimized to avoid lag.
While dark mode is an absolute beast at providing UX benefits, the challenges can’t be overlooked. Technical planning and collaboration with other designers is required to make dark mode work.
Many users find dark mode to be their top preference, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Offering choice is important for building trust and maintaining loyalty. Always include a toggle or setting that allows users to switch from dark to light mode. Some users will actually switch between these modes throughout the day and on different devices. Forcing everyone to use dark mode will frustrate and alienate a lot of users.
Modern operating systems support [prefers-color-scheme] in CSS and similar hooks that detect if the user has their device set to dark mode. Leverage this setting to ensure your app or website respects each user’s preference. Then make it easy to switch if they want a different option.
While it’s possible to enable apps to automatically switch between dark and light modes based on ambient light on some devices, it should be optional. Some users appreciate not having to manually switch modes when it starts to get dark, but that will be a deal breaker for others.
However you do it, make sure your app or website remembers each user’s choice, whether it’s through cookies or user profile settings. If a site or app always resets to the default, people will hate having to reset it with every use.
Since dark mode can affect readability, it can impact metrics like bounce rate and time on page. That means it can impact SEO. It may not be a major impact, but it’s worth taking into consideration.
Where contrast and text legibility are concerned, dark mode doesn’t guarantee readable text. The contrast and colors must be intentionally chosen. Fonts and typography also play a major role in readability. The most ideal dark mode color scheme can’t override unreadable fonts with bad kerning and poor line spacing.
Dark mode can be a huge win for readability and engagement if implemented correctly, but when it’s half-baked it can hurt UX and SEO.
If you want to retain your users, offering dark mode just may do the trick. For many users, reading content, streaming, and working for long periods of time require dark mode for comfort. Anytime users spend long stretches engaging with content (think reading, streaming, coding) they’ll benefit from reduced eye strain. Dark mode helps users through these types of long sessions comfortably.
Users who experience discomfort using an app or website are likely to complain about it and leave negative feedback online. You can address these issues through enabling dark mode for those who need it most.
As dark mode becomes a non-negotiable expectation, brands that don’t have a well-designed dark mode option will alienate their users. People compare UX/UI on platforms and websites. If a competitor has a smoother, better interface with dark mode, that can tip their choice.
Dark mode can also add perceived value to your brand. If your app or website looks more refined, more immersive, or more sophisticated, that can give you the brand prestige needed for higher pricing.
In short, while dark mode alone won’t make your business thrive, the benefits make it a necessary part of the user experience.
Knowing why dark mode matters is one thing. Knowing how to implement it is another. The following guidelines will help ensure that dark mode becomes an asset for your brand.
· Use adequate contrast (WCAG compliance). The WCAG recommends contrast standards of at least 4.5:1. Make sure all text, icons, images, logos, banners, etc. meet these standards. Poor contrast is the most common reason some dark modes fail.
· Avoid pure black. Pure black (#000000) can be harsh on the eyes. Use a more subdued black like #121212 and soften the lighter colors just a bit.
· Develop assets specifically for dark mode. Create separate versions of images and other visual assets for dark mode when possible to maintain a smooth aesthetic.
· Use smooth transitions. Toggling between light and dark modes should be smooth without noticeable flashes or color jumps. CSS transitions and fade effects make this easy to achieve.
· Test across devices, contexts, and users. Test your dark mode in bright light, dim light, and on various types of screens at different angles. Have color blind users and people with other visual impairments perform tests. If dark mode won’t work for them, they should be able to to easily switch back to light mode.
· Provide controls and respect defaults. Give users a choice. Use system preference hooks to align the user’s default setting with their OS setting. And remember their choice for future visits/uses.
Following these best practices will allow dark mode to enhance the user experience.
Dark mode is a strategic user experience strategy
Enabling dark mode in your apps and web pages is a strategic UX lever that can improve comfort, accessibility, and brand perception. But it requires a specific approach. From creating the right contrast and design consistency to performance and user control, every detail matters.
If you’re ready for a competitive edge, let’s talk. Our UX/UI design team specializes in building accessible, polished interfaces. We can audit your existing designs and implement dark mode the right way to ensure your users keep coming back.
Let’s build an interface your customers will love. Contact us today and we’ll help you turn dark mode into a powerful UX advantage.
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