Please Don't Force Dark Mode
Please don’t force dark mode on your users. If dark mode is a characteristic of your brand, please ensure you choose a comfortable contrast ratio for the text.
I regularly see many websites including personal blogs that are designed exclusively in dark mode. I find this incredibly frustrating as I can’t even read a single paragraph on these sites before my eyes start watering. While dark mode can be beneficial on some occasions, forcing it on users is a terrible user experience.
Reading in dark mode doesn’t just mess with my eyes while I’m at it — it sticks around afterward too. Every time I finish a long article, I end up seeing horizontal stripes everywhere I look, like my eyes just won’t let it go.
For example, pure white text on a pitch black background can strain my eyes and be very difficult to read. The contrast ratio of this combination is 21:1. Here’s an example paragraph:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
