What is wrong with the dark mode UX?
The dark mode is officially here. It was here before of course. But not everywhere. By Apple releasing the iOS 13 and bringing the dark mode, now everyone wants a piece of it. Everyone wants to run to that goal point where everyone else is going. Because the “big boss” says so. Android has had it since Pie (9.0). Twitter also is on that road for a long time. And here comes APPLE! And now, everyone wants it.
But you know that it’s still young. You know there is something wrong with it. Something annoys the s**t out of you.
Instagram added the dark mode recently (yesterday at the time I’m writing this). And now it’s officially my duty to tell the world what I think is wrong. (I’m sorry. Who are you again?)
It’s not the dark theme itself. There are just small things. Some really small things in the user experience. Check out this screenshot of the Instagram profile tab.
Where is Waldo? I mean, can you find the link in bio? Keep in mind that this link is really important to businesses. This is the “Call to Action”. How many times have you seen the “Link in bio” phrase?
Now see this chrome browser tab:
I hope you have a good screen with good contrast. On my second screen which is not a good monitor and a lot of people have them, sometimes it’s really hard to distinguish the active tab from the rest. Or is it my problem as a user that I don’t have a good monitor?
Oh! By the way, can you notice the hovered tab?
It’s the perfect time to ask “Why the dark mode?” Is it just a theme? Is it just because it looks cool? The OS is dark so your app “must” be? You know that it’s not true. At least not totally true. The main thing about the dark theme is to reduce the amount of light so it’s easy on the eyes to look at the screen. Especially in a dark room. In bed for instance, when your eyes are tired and you are getting ready to go to sleep. Personally, I prefer the dark mode for any time of the day. I look at a screen all the time and a dark theme is easier to look at.
Speaking of tired eyes and getting ready to go to bed, imagine everything on your phone is dimmed and you decide to open up the twitter, and suddenly…
Here is a question for you. Do you think that the user likes shocks? If that’s the selling point of your app, then use this kind of splash screen. It totally works.
Let’s watch a viral video before I go to sleep…
I hope you are not reading this article in the dark. And don’t open up the Telegram in the dark ever! I could post a screenshot here but it would be just a complete flashlight scenario.
Dark mode doesn’t necessarily mean black and white. The point is to make the whole screen dark in general. Does it mean that we should sacrifice contrast and color?
You can use colors in small portions to show the emphasis (CTA, link, …) or you can have distinguishable shades of gray or a dark color so the user can find stuff more easily. Actually colors look more vivid on a dark background. Use the opportunity!
Ever wondered why it took Apple so long to introduce the dark mode? I don’t know, but I’m assuming that they don’t like to rush things. Test your product. Test it in the real world with real users. And don’t jump into it just because you have to.
I’m sure the major apps will test and fix these things eventually over time. But the dark mode is still young. And if I have a part in making this environment, I have to try too.
And in the end remember, it’s always nice to have the option.
