Pro tip: pure black backgrounds are not always the answer in dark mode

Had a designer argue with me at a meetup in Portland last month - she said #000000 is the only true dark mode and anything lighter is cheating. I told her pure black creates too much contrast strain on the eyes for long reading sessions. She brought up her app's user testing as proof but I still think softer dark grays like #121212 work better for readability. What do you all use for your base dark mode color - strict black or something with a little color warmth?

2 comments

2 Comments

derekwalker11d ago

Yeah I saw a talk by this UX researcher who tested eye fatigue with different dark mode colors. Pure black gave people the most complaints after 20 minutes of reading. They said #121212 was way easier on the eyes. The designer you argued with might be chasing a trend instead of thinking about actual usability. I go with something close to #1E1E1E myself.

terry_hayes1811d agoTop Commenter

Right? "Chasing a trend instead of thinking about actual usability" should be a t-shirt.