Unpopular opinion: pure black (#000000) backgrounds hurt more than they help

Had an accessibility specialist look at my dark mode app last month. They said pure black creates too much contrast strain and makes halation worse for people with astigmatism. I pushed back hard at first because I thought black looked cleaner. But after testing with a few users who had eye issues, it was clear they were right. I switched to a dark gray like #1a1a2e and the feedback flipped completely. Now I'm wondering how many other designers are stuck on pure black because it looks cool. What's your go-to hex for dark mode backgrounds?

2 comments

2 Comments

kai7791d ago

Yeah pure black is like wearing sunglasses at night. Looks cool but kinda defeats the purpose. I went through the same phase where everything had to be #000000 until my eyes started hurting after 20 minutes of coding. Switched to #1e1e1e and suddenly I could actually read my own screens without feeling like my corneas were fighting a boxing match. The funny thing is most people can't even tell the difference unless you put them side by side. Dark gray is the real MVP and nobody wants to admit it because "pure black" sounds more professional.

barbara4291d ago

Totally feel you on this. Dark gray is where it's at, my eyes thank me every day after making that switch.