Essay·June 13, 2020

Why is it important to have a Switch-to-dark-mode feature in an interface?

Why does it have to be dark mode? Are there any actual benefits to using it? Or is it just a trend?

Why is it important to have a Switch-to-dark-mode feature in an interface?

Dark Mode saves more power

I asked people with their dark mode phones why they prefer to use it. The majority’s answer is always the same: Because it saves more battery power than it usually does with light mode.

Is it true, though?

Based on an article posted on androidauthority.com, when the background is white, all pixels on the screen are turned on which means it requires more power. But when the pixel is dark (defined as black or dark grey) as in the dark mode, the power requirements are relatively lower. So it is true that dark mode can save energy on our smartphone usage.

For some users, Dark Mode is bad for reading too long

How can a dark screen make us not optimal for reading light writing on a dark screen? Would that be great for the eye strain?

A study conducted by Cosima Piepenbrock and colleagues in Germany concluded that light mode works better in the Visual-acuity task — that is, it shows symbols that are similar to letters oriented “C” in various ways and asks subjects to recognize the location of the gap. Light mode is also better in proofreading tasks — which require subjects to read a short piece of paper and recognize certain types of errors.

Another study published in the Human Factors journal shows that with smaller fonts on a white background, it is relatively better for users to be able to read it.

It's claimed that we humans have evolved to get used to reading dark text on white paper. Therefore the eyes perform optimally more to read dark text in a white background than white text on a dark background.

Dark Mode has more benefits for users with visual impairments

Now you know that human reading performance in light mode is better than in dark mode. However, there is a long-term effect that is likely to occur if we mostly read black text on a white background.

A study published in Nature Research’s Scientific Reports in 2018 shows that exposure to a continuous mode of light can result in myopia — known as nearsightedness.

Andrea Aleman and colleagues at the University of Tübingen, Germany conducted research on 7 human participants to read the writings presented in dark and light modes each for one hour to see if their tendency towards myopia changes after reading.

The researchers found significant thinning of the membrane when participants read the text presented in light mode and significant thickening when reading text presented in dark mode. The thinning was more pronounced in participants who already had myopia.

This means, although our reading performance in light mode might be better in the short term, the dark one has the advantage of preventing long-term effects.

So, it's important to have a switch-to-dark-mode feature

With the points being said, it is strongly recommended to implement a switch-to-dark-mode feature under 3 reasons: (1) Saving more energy (2) There may be long-term effects associated with light mode (3) Some people with visual impairment work better in dark mode.

References


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