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Is dark mode simply a time sink?
Or is light mode the problem?
Debates around the pros and cons of dark mode have been going on for a while now. In fact, research done in the late 1980s by James L. Dannemiller and Benjamin R. Stephens indicated a preference in infants for dark content on light backgrounds.
This, along with other studies outlined well in Josep Ferrer’s article, “Why is Dark Mode so captivating,” indicates that the early research pointed to dark mode as inferior.
For the eyes?
The initial push of dark mode as a way to protect the eyes has been debunked repeatedly (although it is thought that dark mode in dark settings may be slightly better and vice versa).
For the battery?
Another common refrain from dark-mode evangelists has to do with battery savings. While it is possible for dark mode to save some battery, a study at Purdue found that the savings are minimal if your brightness is around 50%. If your brightness is at 100% all of the time, dark mode can save a more significant chunk of battery life. Considering most of our phones regularly change our brightness automatically, it is unlikely that your phone is at 100% brightness at all times.
Battery woes will become decreasingly important as batteries improve, and fast charging becomes faster— however, I recognize the importance of battery life to many in different situations.
Design implications
At a core level, when we talk about dark mode in design, we’re talking about a “theme.” For a deeper dive into themes within design systems, check out this article, by Kolby Sisk.
But the basics:
When you have a component, you need it to exist in multiple themes. For the sake of this article, we’re talking about light and dark themes.
