The Battle
Dark mode has been growing in popularity across many platforms. These modes are something I took notice of. This new subtle but incredibly powerful change in user experience and the way digital platforms are designed may go onto to impacting digital design. The impact it very much has goes to prove that the small things add up and that they matter. Dark mode and light mode both have their advantages and disadvantages. Yet the use of which one could make a difference to anyone between a casual phone user to high level website developers.
Best Uses for Light and Dark Mode
Both Dark Mode and light mode have their own advantages. This includes where each mode is most prevalent and the best application it should be used with. Each mode has its own unique purpose, and it all depends on many circumstances. The most basic times where light mode prevails are in places where the lighting is brighter or more lit environment. Where as dark mode prevails most in darker and low-lit environments. In the end the correct answer depends on many aspects including the conditions and context.
Benefits of Light Mode
- Better Readability
- Natural Light Alignment
- Increased Productivity
- Enhanced Visibility in Daylight
- Familiarity
- Professional Aesthetic
These are the top benefits of light mode. These benefits are consistent among light mode platforms and very much go into the productivity of one. These benefits provide unique and timeless improvements into platforms and are to be taken seriously into consideration while using and applying as well as among users and designers of all sort and backgrounds.
Benefits of Dark Mode
- Reduced Eye Strain
- Better Battery Life
- Improved Focus
- Enhanced Sleep Quality
- Aesthetic Appeal
- Accessibility
These are some of the crucial benefits that dark mode provides. These aspects should be taken into consideration when choosing between the two. Whether you are a user using dark mode or a high-level designer implanting dark mode into a design these are some benefits you might want to consider that you are implementing.
Implementations
Dark Mode implementations Majority Wise
This listed platforms above are all platforms where dark mode is prevalent in fifty percent or more of the user population. When taking closer notice, these are platforms that are more modern and known worldwide and are very successful.
Light Mode implementations Majority Wise
- Google Search
- Apple Mail
- Microsoft Office
- Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
- Amazon
- WhatsApp (Mobile)
The platforms listed above are all of which are light mode prevalent. In most cases all the default modes are light mode for the listed examples. These are all platforms that are doing very well and are incredibly successful.
Preferences among the Population
The human brain is quite fascinating and although this small change may not be significant at all it makes just the right amount of difference for it to become a pivotal point. There are two main modes. According to an article by Stack Exchange Biology as humans we are drawn to the light mode due to our visual systems being in daylight environments where backgrounds were lighter. The reason light mode is still the main default for many of the platforms across is because our eyes are more tuned to lighter conditions.
Now as we come to times where more and more people spend longer times in front of screens, new problems and solutions to those problems have arisen. The problem that light mode causes is after long periods, especially in dark conditions, eye strain is possible and common. One way to battle this is with dark mode which assists in cases like this.
Although the readability may not be as good due to the contrast, the darker mode offers less eye strain and a more comfortable read on the eyes. Now so the preference is highly influenced by conditions of the personal use of the user. How long they spend, how much they read, what time of day they are on screens for, what brightness conditions they are working in, and so many more aspects of preference.
Growth in History of the Modes over time.
The difference between today’s website designs and when websites were introduced is incredibly drastic. The user interface design portion of it would vary significantly. They almost all started off with light mode with black text for readability and contrast. “For text-heavy screens, light background with dark text is preferred as default.” This quote from the article by Hesam Andalib proves the statement of how early day websites were designed with light mode. Since then so many advancements and improvements have come along to appoint where the possibilities are quite endless.
Along with that the introduction of dark mode, which primarily gained popularity in the 2000s really changed the game. Website designers and developers started catching onto the benefits of dark mode. Since then, dark mode has only grown and been becoming more and more prevalent across the internet. What started off bland and quite basic has grown into a nearly endless source of imaginative expression with many new implications.
My personal Preference
I have gone through the preferences of the people and the majority population of users. My preference in this debate is overall, taking all things into consideration Dark mode. This is because in recent years I have also been in front of a screen for large amounts of time at a time and I see the most health positives, most importantly eye health with dark mode. I also find this mode more visually appealing. For me it relaxes and eases the working environment. The dark background gives emphasis on the important work and provides focus for me. In my preference, I would most likely use dark mode whenever given the possibility.
Conclusion
The light that shines on our face from any device that we use may have more of an impact on our health, preferences, etc. than what meets the eye. Take in the benefits and disadvantages of dark mode and light mode which have been stated in this blog post. Whether you are a casual user a website developer or anything in between, the info stated helps in informing your site.