Five Reasons for why Dark Mode Matters
When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Introduction
According to an American survey, children between the ages of 8–12 and 13–18 spend a daily average of 4 hours 44 minutes, and 7 hours 22 minutes staring at screens (respectively). The data for these numbers were collected in 2019. This figure is higher for adults and, according to an article in the Washington Post earlier this year, the amount of screen time we consume has increased considerably due to COVID-19.
Today, mobile devices take up a large percentage of the amount of time that people spend staring at screens; this is why there is a need for applications to have a dark mode option for its users. According to Wikipedia, dark mode is a color scheme that uses light-colored text, icons, and graphical user interface elements on a dark background and is often discussed in terms of computer user interface design and web design.
Still unconvinced by the need for dark mode? Let’s look at the top five reasons why dark mode really matters for the end-users of an application!
Reasons For Dark Mode
1). Visual Attraction
When applied in the right way, dark mode can look really appealing to the eye as it provides the opportunity to present a unique user interface to the end-users of an application. In terms of data presentation for graphical contents like dashboards that contain graphs and charts, Dark Mode brings out the elegance in the design, as shown below.
Unlike the drab white look that most applications have, the above image shows how dark mode can bring a significantly deeper and more attractive visual perception to an application.
2). User Experience
Providing the users of a product with the option of a dark mode is a good business decision, especially if the application requires users to spend lots of time on the application. This could be a great option for a streaming site; for example, YouTube. Streaming a video in light-mode under a dark environment or at night may not be a good experience for the eyes. Hence, applications that require people to spend lots of screen time should provide an option for dark mode for a better user experience. Above all, it is worthwhile noting that context is a key factor in making decisions on whether to implement the option of a dark mode.
3). Eye Strain & Blue Light Removal
By default, dark mode helps to reduce overall screen brightness. Although no study has outrightly confirmed that dark mode reduces eye strain, it can, however, be effective in low-light conditions. Furthermore, dark mode helps to reduce exposure to blue light; a high-frequency color in the “visible light spectrum” that can be seen by the human eye. Blue Light can be found almost everywhere, from smartphones to computers to other digital devices. Another source of blue light is the sun, so by stepping out of your house, you are exposed to a certain degree of blue light. The issue with blue light is that too much exposure to it can lead to digital eye strain. Since not everyone can see well with dark mode, some mobile devices provide the option for blue light filters. This can be found in the display settings area and can be easily adjusted to the level of blue light exposure you want.
4). Reduction of Photophobia
Photophobia is a symptom of abnormal intolerance to the visual perception of light. The source of this light could be any form of light source including sunlight. There are so many things that can cause photophobia, some of which include:
- Excessive light entering the eyes
- Eye infection
- Medications
- Meningitis
- Lack of eye pigment (Albinism)
- Wearing contact lenses for an extended period of time, or wearing it wrongly.
- Post Eye Surgery
Photophobia usually disappears once the underlying cause is treated. A good way to deal with photophobia is by making use of the dark mode setting of a mobile device or an application. This helps to reduce the amount of bright light that goes directly into the eyes.
An extension you may consider installing on your desktop browser is Night Eye, which is supported by almost all major web browsers. Night Eye helps you enable dark mode and other features across almost all the websites you view, to help cope with the light sensitivity.
5). Battery Saver
Another positive impact of dark mode is the impact that it has on the battery life of mobile devices. Dark mode can significantly help reduce the battery drain on devices that use OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) screens. Numerous studies have confirmed the fact that dark mode saves battery life. In an Android Dev Summit in November of 2018, Google also confirmed that themes on android devices have a significant impact on the battery life of a mobile device. If you are using an Android device, you should consider using dark mode, especially at night. Not only is it easy on the eyes, but it also helps save your battery life.
Factors To Consider When Selecting Dark Mode
As trendy as dark mode seems, it is necessary to consider some factors before deciding to implement it in an application. Some of these factors are discussed below.
Readability and Visibility
Readability simply means the ease with which a reader can understand or perceive a written text. Applications that contain lots of text in their interface will have to be careful about how dark mode is implemented. If dark mode is not well implemented this will lead to a poor user experience with the users struggling to read the texts. This defeats one of the purposes for which dark mode was created and could lead to eye strain. Lots of research must go into how the backgrounds, text color, and font will work together.
Test Before Implementation
Testing helps to discover the strengths and weaknesses of the color scheme used in an application. Dark mode does not work well for all applications; for example, a website that contains lots of elements (such as text, images, and tables) may make it difficult for dark mode to be implemented.
Other factors to consider include:
- Determination of the target audience
- Providing an option to switch between Light Mode and Dark Mode
- The Environment
- Accessibility
Conclusion
The decision to always use dark mode should always be a relative one. For users of an application, knowing when to use light mode and dark mode at different times of the day is very essential for the eye. Thanks for reading, I hope you found this article helpful!
Originally published at https://thecodeangle.com on October 31, 2020.
