Dark Mode Design in UI

In today’s world, people spend a lot of time on smartphones, laptops, and other digital devices. By using digital devices, our eyes feel tired, especially when we use devices in low light or at night. This is the place where dark mode comes in. Dark mode is a display setting that uses dark background colors with light-colored text and elements. In this blog, you will learn what dark mode is, why it is popular, and most importantly, tips for creating dark mode design.

Table of Contents:

• What is Dark Mode Design?
• Real-World Examples of Dark Mode UI Design
• History of Dark Mode
• Why Use Dark Mode in UI Design
• Tips for Creating Dark Mode Design
• Conclusion

What is Dark Mode Design?

The dark mode design in UI is defined as the style where the background is dark (black or dark gray) and text and icons appear in a light color (white or light gray). The main goal of the dark mode is to make it easier for the eyes, especially while using devices at night or in low-light places. In other words, designing for dark mode means creating another version of your application or a website that works well in this darker style.

Real-World Examples of Dark Mode UI Design

In order to understand the dark mode designs better, let’s look at some popular examples of websites that successfully use dark mode in their design.

1. Google Chrome: Google Chrome provides a system-based dark mode that changes the browser interface, including the tabs, address bar, and menus. It reduces screen brightness during long browsing sessions.

2. Instagram: Instagram dark mode gives a black background to the application. It helps in highlighting the photos and videos, and is especially helpful while watching reels at night.

3. YouTube: It also offers a popular dark mode feature, which is helpful while watching videos at night. It helps in reducing the glare and allows the user to keep focused on the content.

4. Twitter: The dark mode of Twitter offers you a choice between two themes, one of which is the dark blue theme and the other is the black theme.

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History of Dark Mode

Many people think that the dark mode is a new idea, but it actually started a long time ago when computers were created. In the early days of computers, digital screens had a black background with green or white text. This was the original version of dark mode. These screens use less power and generate less heat, which was important at that time.

As technology improved, digital screens came with black text over a white background. This format became standard for most websites and apps. But, after some time, users started spending more time on their devices, especially at night. In 2016, Microsoft introduced dark mode in Windows 10 in their update. After this, Apple added dark mode in macOS. Now, the dark mode is more common and popularly used in mobile devices, websites, and even in full operating systems.

Why Use Dark Mode in UI Design

There are multiple good reasons to use dark mode in websites and mobile applications. The dark mode not only makes your design visually good, but it also helps in improving the user experience. Here are some reasons why dark mode is important in UI design:

1. Less Strain on the Eyes: Bright screens can be hard on the eyes. Dark mode helps in reducing glare, making it comfortable for the user to look at the screen for a long period of time.

2. Better for Nighttime Use: Many people use their mobile phones or laptops at night. Dark mode helps those users by making the screen softer.

3. Saves Battery Life: On OLED and AMOLED screens, dark mode uses less power, which means dark mode improves battery life, which is good news for users.

4. Improves focus: Dark mode can help users stay focused on the content. A dark background helps in watching images and videos more clearly.

Tips for Creating Dark Mode Design

Designing for dark mode is not just turning the background black and text white. There are some important tips that you need to remember while designing dark mode in applications and websites:

1. Don’t use pure black: Don’t use pure black as a background. You can use dark gray shades, which give a better and interactive look to your design.

2. Use High Contrast: It is recommended to use high contrast, but not too much. Your text and images should be clearly visible by adjusting good contrast.

3. Limit the Use of Bright or Saturated Colors: Bright colors do not look good in dark backgrounds. Thus, it is good to use soft colors in the dark mode.

4. Consistency: It is good to ensure that all your text, buttons, or other elements follow the same dark mode style.

5. Use Transparent Layer: This is a common technique that is used in iOS and macOS applications to make dark mode feel more modern.

6. Follow the User’s Device Settings: Design dark mode applications in such a way that, if a user has already chosen dark mode on their device, your website or app automatically follows that setting.

7. Test on different Devices: Always test your dark mode design on different devices, like phones, tablets, and desktops.

8. Get Feedback from Users: Before launching your product in the market, ask some users what they think about your dark mode UI design.

Conclusion

Dark mode is an important feature in modern UI design because it is not only helpful in improving visual comfort for users, but also offers other benefits like reducing eye strain, saving battery life on certain devices, and enhancing the overall user experience. It is important for designers and developers to consider dark mode as an important design strategy because most users who use digital devices prefer to work in dark mode. By following the right tips, you are able to create a better dark mode design.

Dark Mode in UI – FAQs