Dark Mode Design: Best Practices for Accessibility and User Experience

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Dark mode has become a standard expectation across numerous platforms, from operating systems to social media sites. It’s sleek and comfortable, making browsing more enjoyable for many users. Still, good design requires intention and a clear understanding of key principles.

What Is Dark Mode Design?

Dark mode design uses light-colored text and interface elements on a dark background. This design approach has gained popularity in recent years, with several apps, websites, and even operating systems offering a dark mode option for those who prefer it.

Even websites that don’t have this mode enabled can be tweaked through dark mode extensions, with the most popular ones having millions of regular users.

9 Best Practices for Effective Dark Mode Design

Designing for dark mode requires intentionality to ensure cohesion and visual harmony. These best practices will help ensure your interface stays readable, consistent, and visually appealing across different design modes and browsers.

1. Use Intentional Design Choices

Creating a dark mode interface requires intentional design choices that ensure readability, usability, and color harmony. Instead of simply inverting the current color palette, designers should make thoughtful decisions around visual hierarchy, color contrast, typography, and image use. 

2. Avoid Pure Colors

As much as possible, designers should avoid using pure white and pure black. Individually or together, these colors can create a harsh contrast, leading to uncomfortable reading and potential eye strain. 

Designers often use off-white, dark gray, or similar hues to create a softer contrast that is easier on the eyes.

3. Use Desaturated Colors

Like pure black and white, bright colors that pop in light mode can look overly saturated in dark mode. Instead of vibrant hues, consider muted or desaturated tones. 

For example, designers can replace a bright royal blue with a calmer, less saturated variant. This approach prevents visual fatigue and ensures visual balance in a darker design environment.

4. Create Sufficient Contrast

Text, images, and icons should stand out from the background so people can read them properly. Contrast is especially important for buttons or other interactive elements, as it ensures visibility.

However, designers should ensure balance. While some contrast helps readability, too much or too little can be jarring or visually straining.

5. Use Highlights and Gradients

Dark mode can still be visually interesting and bold. Small design flourishes like gradients, highlights, or subtle color variations can add depth and visual hierarchy without being too overstimulating.

For instance, layering elements with slightly lighter shades helps create contrast between sections. Adding accent gradients can make call-to-action buttons or icons stand out more naturally and guide the eye through the page.

6. Ensure Text Readability

Typography is a powerful design element that can help dark interfaces stay functional and user-friendly. Color, typeface, and weight all matter in ensuring readability and contrast. For text color, light hues  — like off-white or other muted colors in the same family — work best. 

Headings can benefit from slightly brighter colors and bold typesetting so they can stand out. Generally, it’s best to avoid thin fonts, as they blend in or disappear in dark backgrounds. Designers can experiment with different typefaces, colors, weights, and line spacing to find the best layout for readability.

7. Retain Brand Identity

Brand identity should still be a key part of darker designs. Designers can adapt a brand’s existing palette to harmonize with darker backgrounds. For example, a vibrant blue logo can shift to a slightly more muted tone in dark mode, ensuring visual harmony while staying true to the brand’s character. 

However, a bright logo doesn’t have to disappear — it can be a recognizable design accent, alongside some strategically placed buttons or icons. Balance is key.

8. Enable Toggling Between Modes

Not everyone likes darker themes, and that’s okay. Designers can include a toggle allowing users to switch between dark and light modes easily. 

Some operating systems automate this process depending on the time of day or user preference. However, in-page or in-app toggles provide added control.

9. Test the UI

Designers should test new interfaces thoroughly before launch. The testing phase should cover multiple devices, browsers, or environmental conditions. For example, browsing a website with an indoor desktop computer is an entirely different experience from doing the same thing with a smartphone outdoors on a sunny day.

UI designers should check for consistency, readability, color saturation, and other relevant factors. Comprehensive testing ensures that all users get a polished and reliable browsing experience.

The Importance of Dark Mode Design

Aside from aesthetics, dark mode design offers usability and performance benefits. These advantages explain why so many users and platforms prefer it.

Reduce Eye Strain

Users know the jarring effect of using their phone on light mode in the middle of the night. A commonly cited benefit of dark mode is its ability to reduce glare and eye strain, making browsing, reading and working more comfortable for many users. 

A 2025 study found that dark mode is more effective in reducing eye fatigue than light mode. It is especially useful for evening use or extended sessions, as it isn’t as jarring when paired with darker surroundings.

Improve Accessibility in Some Conditions

Dark mode can make screens significantly easier for people with light sensitivity or migraines. It can also improve focus by reducing glare and excess contrast in dim environments.

Minimize Glare

Glare can make browsing uncomfortable, especially when using devices in dark or dim environments. In dark rooms, the bright contrast of light mode can cause eyes to constantly readjust, leading to fatigue and headaches.

More than being a stylistic change, dark mode is a functional improvement that supports longer engagement with minimal irritation.

Save Battery Power

A practical advantage of dark mode is its impact on battery life, particularly on OLED displays. This type of screen draws less power when displaying dark-colored pixels, which darker settings primarily uses\.

A Purdue study found that switching to dark mode at 100% brightness can save around 39% to 47% of battery power. However, these savings are only noticeable in specific conditions. According to the same study, the difference between light and dark settings when the phone is in low brightness is almost negligible.

The Drawbacks of Dark Mode

Despite its popularity, dark mode also has its drawbacks. It introduces design and accessibility challenges that need addressing.

Some Accessibility Challenges

Dark mode can improve accessibility for some people, but it might make it worse for others. Users with certain types of color blindness or vision problems may find that this mode reduces readability and accessibility, making it less enjoyable or comfortable for them.

Lack of Consistency Across Platforms

Each platform renders colors differently, leading to inconsistencies. For example, an interface that looks balanced on Windows might appear dull on iOS. Designers should test across different environments and devices to maintain consistency and brand uniformity.

Designing Dark Mode With Intention

Dark mode design is one way to improve usability and accessibility. When implemented with care, it can enhance user comfort, reduce eye strain, save energy, and create a visually pleasing browsing experience.