The technological advancements and new features in the mobile applications have always been in the limelight. And, nowadays, dark mode and themes are the most popular and demanded features in every mobile app. Tech giants like Apple have launched Dark mode in their Mac OS, whereas, in 2019, Google declared a broad dark theme in their I/O conference. And now leading applications like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook are also introducing dark mode features in their new updates. If everything goes great and things are done correctly, then dark mode has a lot of advantages and there are many Mobile app development Companies that provides the best mobile app services.
In this article, we will discuss:
- What is the dark mode?
- Pros and cons of a dark mode
- And things to consider while designing your application with dark mode.
So, let's get started-
What is the dark mode?
The dark mode is a low-light UI (User Interface) that uses black or shade of grey in the primary background. It is a reversal of the white-color interface. The theme is mainly designed for increasing the screen time of the users. Moreover, it helps reduce eye strain and makes the content or texts more readable. Usually, this mode is used for highlighting specific content.
Let's discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Dark Mode: -
Pros of Dark Mode: -
- Helps to reduce eye strain – A user who is continuously using the laptop or computer screen with white background knows the actual pain. Continuous working on bright light affects the eyesight of the individuals. Dark mode helps in preventing infections like blurred vision, headache, double vision, and many more.
- Increases visibility in low-light– Using a smart device with bright light in dim light can cause you severe headache issues. The use of Dark mode helps in increasing visibility by reducing bright light and makes it easy for us to read anything in low light conditions.
- Saves battery consumption – The light mode consumes more battery because of a smaller number of black pixels. In contrast, dark mode uses a lot of black pixels which helps to reduce battery consumption.
Cons of Dark Mode: -
- Reduces emotion – As we know, bright colors help to create happy feelings. If a user is spiritual, then the dark mode is not a good option for him. For instance, suppose you are showing an inspirational quote to someone in a dark background then chances are slight whether he/she inspired or not. Because if bright light can provide bright emotions, then dim light can offer the vice versa.
- Decreases space- Suppose someone locked you in a room with dark walls, how you feel? Feeling claustrophobic, the same happens with your device. In dark mode, the user finds the content congested or in a smaller space. Whereas in the white background, they find it open and widespread.
- Content and color with low contrast are not easily recognizable- If you create an app with dark mode, make sure the text is easily visible and smooth to read because if a user finds it hard then, your dark theme turns out to fail.
What factors made Dark mode themes more demanding?
- An On-going Trend- The dark mode theme concept is overruling the current markets. Big giants like Apple and Google have also launched their products with this. However, the theme has been introduced from the past year, but its popularity is spread at high speed. And undoubtedly, this trend runs for a long time.
- Long Battery life- Another factor that makes dark them demanding is its prolonged battery life. Google has tested and announced that dark mode themes help save battery for a long time. Applications like YouTube have stored around 15% battery when used with dark mode.
- Resolves health and wellness issues- Using an application with a bright light at a dark place is not suitable for eyes. It gives a strain and other health issues. Sometimes it may result in itchy and dryness of eyes. At the same time, the use of dark mode makes things easy for users; they can efficiently use apps for more time.
Sound Practices to design dark mode for your application: -
1. Go for desaturated colors– Saturated colors look high-grade on the light color surface, but for a dark surface, it does not sound well. The use of desaturated colors like pastel and muted ones make your application more reachable and easier-to-use.
2. Use ON & color for text – ON colors are mostly used for text (lettering) and in dark mode "ON" color includes pure white as default. The use of pure white in the dark background is not a wise option, instead, go with light grey colors that offer more readability.
3. Don't use pure black – Use dark grey as a primary color for your dark mode theme. This color helps to reduce eye strain and makes things easy for the user to watch continuously.
4. Test your theme – Test your dark theme with all variations, including styles, and make necessary changes according to your user's feedback. It gives users the chance to manage their own experience and let them feel more like a person.
Note – Never use pitch black for the primary background and pure bright white for text is not a good option. You can go for dark grey for the fundamental background and light grey for text.
Conclusion: -
Currently, the dark mode theme is at the boom, that means it is the right time to add this feature in your application. It comes with various benefits. But creating the same is not a cakewalk. It requires a lot of research and professional assistance. We hope that with the help of this definite article, you understand the importance and demand for dark mode themes. With the points mentioned above, you can build your own customized dark mode feature for your application. We are here to help you with the best solutions. Hurry! Ping us; we are just a click away.
