Dark mode used to be default on the earliest home computers that used monochrome monitors with green text on black screen. Early word processors featured white text and black background’s until the 80’s where it was changed to imitate ink on paper.

In recent years, dark mode has became popular again on mobile and desktop for a number of reasons but is it worth the hype?

One of the very first operating systems to offer a dark alternative was Apple’s 7OS in 1991, designed for the visually impaired. Following this, in 2001, Window xp released an option to change the colour of the UI alongside multiple high contrast themes. 6 years later, the website Blackle was launched by a Sydney based activist claiming that this dark mode would significantly reduce the consumption levels of energy. However this was only true for CTR monitors, which at that time, had begun to go out of fashion. Nonetheless, the website became a viral sensation among the eco conscious users of the internet. Almost 2 decades later dark mode can be found almost everywhere in places like Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Gmail.

Dark mode has been celebrated for relieving eyestrain. With an abrupt change in contrast tiring your eyes more easily, and with the amount of time we average online everyday this could come with a headache. Calmer or darker tones are easier for us to perceive and could be beneficial in a bright environment such as an office. In a darker environment, a dark screen may not produce any irritating glare. However, not enough light has the same effect as too much when it comes to eye strain. Last year Apple released Mojave, describing it as:

“a dramatic new look that helps you focus on your work" and a “distraction-free working environment that’s easy on the eyes—in every way.”

A study conducted at University of Passau, who focuses on human-computer interaction, looked at the effects of screens with positive and negative polarity in proofreading tasks, also measuring the reading speed. Positive polarity being black text with a white background and negative being the opposite. The study found that participants preformed better with positive polarity as they detected more errors and read faster. Another study had the same findings and concluded that test subjects preformed better at comprehension tasks with positive polarity.

It is true that dark mode makes for a nice design but past the aesthetics, there aren't any additional benefits over the standard white background, black text.

References

Laura Barker, (2022), “Dark mode vs Light mode & The User Experience ” https://www.creode.co.uk/journal/dark-mode-vs-light-mode-the-user-experience, Internet Source, Accessed Oct 3rd 2022

Arielle Pardes, (2019), “Do You Really Need Dark Mode?” https://www.wired.com/story/do-you-need-dark-mode/, Internet Source, Accessed Oct 3rd 2022

Google, “Dark Theme”, https://material.io/design/color/dark-theme.html, Internet Source, Accessed Oct 3rd 2022

Paris Martineau, (2019), “Give Yourself to the Dark (Mode) Side” https://www.wired.com/story/give-yourself-to-dark-mode-side/, Internet Source, Accessed Oct 3rd 2022

Susanne Mayr, (2013) “Positive Display Polarity Is Particularly Advantageous for Small Character Sizes: Implications for Display Design” https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0018720813515509, Internet Source, Accessed Oct 4th 2022