Dark Mode in Web Design: What It Is, Benefits and Drawbacks

dark mode

In this day and age, most of us are using screens or displays, be it for entertainment, work or both. If we aren`t on our smartphones, we are on our tablets, computers or laptops, heck even for sports we are using our smartwatches. Therefore, our eyeballs are regularly and continuously exposed to screens and light. When we feel the strain in the form of tired burning eyes, tingling or faster blinking, say after a long hard-working day, are we doing something about it or just sleeping it off?

If you are not familiar with dark mode, well, where have you been in the last decade or so? But, seriously now, dark mode is a feature which gained more popularity in recent years, but in reality, it has been with us for ages.

This article aims to introduce and explain dark mode to newcomers, but also delves deeper and offers insights for others who thought they already knew all about its full potential.

Prequel to Dark Mode

So, as aforesaid, dark mode also known as dark theme or night mode, has been on a steadily growing trajectory increasing its fame among tech users. However, believe it or not, this feature has been with us for several years now.

In fact, back around 2010, it started to gain traction as consumers started to realise and appreciate how easier it was on their eyes, causing less strain, especially in low-light environments like say reading from your phone or tablet in bed. Moreover, when dark mode was enabled, it utilised less light or brightness, thus it spared more battery from that particular device, which result was welcomed and very much appreciated by the users.

However, we had to wait till 2019 for dark mode to be officially `launched` by both Apple`s iOS and Android systems as their `new` feature on iOS13 and Android 10 respectively, while another major player in the niche namely Microsoft preceded both by introducing dark mode across their Windows system in 2018. Others worth mentioning are the popular Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox search engines which enabled dark mode option around the same time in 2018-19, thanks to which users could switch to browse the interface and web pages to darker schemes for better readability.

Social media platforms like Twitter now X, Facebook, and Instagram, started offering dark mode option too, enhancing user experience while accommodating preferences. On the same line of thought, Microsoft Office like Word, Excel, and Outlook and even Adobe software like Lightroom and Photoshop also adopted dark mode, enabling better usability for those clients who opted for it according to their taste.

The Dark Sides of Dark Mode

Let`s start with the bad news first, so then we end up on a sweet note listing the advantages of dark mode. As you might appreciate like everything else in life, it`s difficult to find perfection and dark mode has its downsides too.

  • Light-against-dark is not optimal for everyone, for some text can appear washed out resulting in more eye strain, and it`s also challenging to read long pieces of content in dark mode
  • Some users could find dark mode difficult to read on in a well-lit or sunny room, or outdoors
  • If you are still sporting an LCD screen, chances are that dark mode will not save on battery, it performs best on OLED displays

The Benefits of Dark Mode

That said, statistics show that many users are opting for dark mode mainly because:

  • It reduces brightness which is a big plus when you`re reading in bed both for your eyes and your partner who won`t be disturbed, or in dark places like the cinema if you need to check your phone quickly without causing a stir around you
  • Using dark mode means less blue light emitting from your device which is notorious for keeping us awake if we use our phones in bed
  • Dark mode uses less energy so it`s gentler on the battery which juice will last us longer
  • Potentially reduces eye strain/dryness in low-light conditions
  • Dark mode is recommended by experts for people who are light-sensitive or have visual impairments

Dark Mode Challenges & The Future

It all bores down to one`s preferences, however dark mode has grown not only as a trend but also as a feature which enhances accessibility to many.

There are end users who have visual impairments or sensitivity to bright light, and others who simply prefer to reduce the screen glare.

However, we can`t say that dark mode is flawless, and it entails some challenges which we find important to mention:

  • 1. Legibility – not all colours and fonts translate well to dark mode
  • 2. Contrast and Accessibility – while dark mode can be beneficial to some, it could hinder others, especially users with vision impairments – astigmatism sufferers may experience more eye strain with white text on black backgrounds due to light diffusion
  • 3. Inconsistent Design – some applications or websites don`t fully optimise with dark mode
  • 4. Battery Impact on non-AMOLED Screens – may be declining in popularity, but LCD screens suffer dark mode since the backlight remains on regardless of dark areas
  • 5. Compatibility Across Devices – it`s tricky to implement dark mode consistently across different platforms and devices, resulting in fragmented experiences for users
  • 6. Content Visibility – some designs, images, graphics, or logos originally designed for light themes can struggle to feature properly on darker backgrounds
  • 7. Developer & Design Effort – double the struggle to create and maintain two versions of the user interface catering to both light and dark themes 

Having said that, it has become increasingly evident that the movement within the tech realm seems to be going in one way, pushing, and expanding the utilisation of dark mode across new applications, websites, and devices. This reflects that there is more awareness about the user`s customisation, comfort, and preference in digital experiences.

Concluding

Ultimately dark mode is proving to be quite popular among tech users, be it to reduce brightness for eye sensitivity or to save on battery juice. On the other hand, designers need to embrace dark mode going forward in a way that it is considered, evaluated, and included in future projects and apps, as for many it has become not only a trend but a necessity.

Although, as we saw, the dark mode ball has been rolling for some time now, however fine tunings and upgrades in tandem with new avant-garde gadgets and features are always needed in technology. The final aim is to cater for diverse needs and preferences of end-users.