Dark mode: personal preference, hype or health issue?
Allowing the configuration of a platform or app can be more beneficial than we think
Opening up to work with accessibility on the largest online education platform in Brazil gave me the opportunity to study in depth an issue that has long been dividing opinions in the design area: to use or not to use the famous “dark mode”?
To put it in context: dark mode would be an interface version with a dark background and light tone elements. I always liked the inverted tone and believed it was interesting to offer users this way of personalizing the experience, but I have always faced resistance because it was a topic that precisely divided opinions. But is dark mode just a matter of aesthetics or, as I have heard some people say, “hype”?
In parallel, we began to observe students requesting the dark mode on our study platform, but for different reasons: visual impairments. In that moment we knew we had to act.
Researches previously done between “light mode” and “dark mode”
Large incidences of light require a greater effort of the eyes, impairing our ability to read, thus making eyes more sensitive and causing fatigue. Light can also be quite stimulating, which is not recommended for using at night. Therefore, many devices also have the “night mode” where, unlike dark mode, the background remains white, but the colors are adjusted in order to reduce the incidence of blue light. Also, as we get older, our pupils tend to shrink naturally, making anyone susceptible to this type of difficulty at some point.
An article by the Nielsen Norman Group brings the issue from the perspective of some researches, including: one carried out in a German institute that, with a sample of young and young adult users, deduced that between the two color modes, the light mode presented higher performance, but this research only considered people free from vision-related health problems. While, in parallel, another research for an English magazine points out that long-term exposure to light is associated with myopia, which can start it or accentuate those who are already myopic.
What about visual impairments, vision disorders and other issues?
Using as a starting point the students who reported discomfort — some declared to have glaucoma, keratoconus or astigmatism)-we have found some characteristics of these three visual conditions. Although the 3 have their differences, one point in common is their great sensitivity to light. When there is, according to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), about 19% of the population in Brazil with some visual impairment, we cannot face these reports as isolated facts.
The white platform was directly related to the struggle caused by too much light. They reported great visual discomfort, sometimes causing pain throughout the entire body. One of the users reported having already passed out after spending hours studying on the computer, preparing himself for a school exam.
In parallel, we have the case of the colorblind people, which is a much broader sphere: each type of colorblindness has a different relation with colors, sometimes confusing similar tones, sometimes failing to see elements, which makes the contrast issue very important to care about. Dark mode, depending on the level and type of color blindness, is an option sought after by these users.
“The platform is too white for someone with astigmatism like me, it’s immensely uncomfortable, my eyes are burning as I watch classes.”
Thus, dark mode came to be seen by us as a form of accessibility for many cases.
In summary, there are many advantages of using dark mode:
- When combined with other color modes, they enable the platform customization, becoming a good product feature;
- People can choose to use light mode during the day and dark mode at night to rest their eyes;
- The dark background emits less light and, therefore, uses less battery, thus can also extend the device’s life;
- Some devices offer automatic dark mode, which is not ideal, since it is not possible to control what the interface will looks like;
- Decreases the chances of developing myopia or prevents it from getting worse;
- A portion of colorblind people feel more comfortable using the dark platform;
- People with health issues that involve vision will be less harmed in the short, medium and long term and will feel better when interacting with the platform;
- The product will be more accessible and will consequently improve the whole user experience.
After this immersion, I am inclined to believe that the answer on this topic is simple, but not unique: there is no single mode that will work for 100% of the users, but options which can be proposed to configure an experience that works better for each context. Dark mode can be a purely aesthetic option — or it can also be a basic health and accessibility solution.
