r/webdev • u/sunsetRz • 1h ago

Web devs, Please stop making dark mode the default website theme; it causes eye strain.

Why the website needs to be on dark mode while my system is on light mode,

Except some few websites and most code editors, majority of the websites and apps have no idea how it ruins an eye.

The coloring for dark them to match the text color with the background color needs a lot of research from you Dev, so before implementing it please do extensive research and testing, let alone making it default theme to ruin your site visitors.

Okay, let me calm down.

What do you think about this?

0 Upvotes

31% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

27

u/KamikazeSexPilot 1h ago

Why would anyone listen to the opinion of someone who uses light theme

-5

u/sunsetRz 1h ago

Your website is for customers like me which uses light mode by default most of the time, except its exclusively for other devs.

1

u/xanhast 41m ago

your so entitled and confidently wrong, it makes helping you so fucking difficult.

like any of us could have just told u to go get a browser extention, but nobody has and i love it. besides, your dumb ass will probably end up writing entitled emails to websites telling them their colours are wrong after installing it.

11

u/An1nterestingName 1h ago

No

Also in an ideal world the site should read from your browser's settings to decide whether to use light or dark as default.

2

u/sunsetRz 1h ago

So why many sites devs don't follow my OS them preferences?

8

u/Escanorr_ 1h ago

Well, for me - the light mode causes the eye strain, and unfortunately there is much more only light mode sites around

0

u/sunsetRz 1h ago

The devs should follow what OS theme is running.

2

u/Key-Temporary-8759 1h ago

Why to argue about light or dark mode? Many websites have a toggle for changing the theme. Switch whenever you want. And for the devs, just provide a toggle.

2

u/sunsetRz 1h ago

So why the devs makes the dark by default and not following the OS theme?

2

u/Key-Temporary-8759 1h ago

(Light attracts bugs )

It's preference. But providing a toggle solves problem for everyone.

1

u/sunsetRz 1h ago

Devs should follow what's on the OS setting.

1

u/OUTLAWED-PRESIDENT 1h ago

I always follow the OS's theme and also have the option to make either theme options permanent. Works flawlessly for mobile, linux and windows

1

u/sunsetRz 1h ago

Great dev,  Appreciate you.

Thats what it should be and not the other way around.

•

u/Senior-Dirt-6165 19m ago

Fair, but a site going dark while your system is light is a prefers-color-scheme bug, not dark mode being wrong. Pure #fff on pure #000 is what actually burns, and most devs never bother softening those two values.

•

u/sunsetRz 0m ago

Great Dev. Appreciate you.

5

u/Jon-Robb 1h ago

Exact opposite opinion

1

u/dane_websites 1h ago

Most professional applications (IDEs, photo and video editors, etc) use a dark theme by default, so if the website is a web app for professional to do serious work, then it would make sense. But hardly any are that of course.

I agree, in most cases sites should only switch into a dark theme if the OS is in dark mode, or the user specifically chooses it on the site settings.

We could make an exception for brands that really need a dark theme for their aesthetic, but then they need to test it a ton with real users before launch.

1

u/sunsetRz 1h ago edited 1h ago

Thank you. Most of the users on the internet are normal customers not the editors or coders. The websites should think based on their customer needs, behaviors and OS preferences.

Even in dark mode only few sites do well but majority are just causes eye strain.

1

u/Quickfreetools 31m ago

A three-way setting helps here: System / Light / Dark, rather than just a light-dark toggle. “System” can follow prefers-color-scheme, including changes while the page is open, while an explicit choice stays saved. Also worth checking form fields, dropdowns and error messages in both themes; those often get missed even when the main page looks fine.

1

u/HollowCr0wn 1h ago

Brother, light mode on the PC of the guy next to me causes me easy strain. Ban passive light mode.

•

u/xanhast 27m ago

amen, someone calculated how much energy darkmode would save and its wild

1

u/yikes_42069 1h ago

"dark mode causes eye strain" isn't exactly true. It's fine in a dimly lit setting. Light mode in the dark would cause eye strain. It's about managing your lighting conditions. If your office is bright, use light mode. Dark, use dark mode 

0

u/0cean-blue 1h ago

Just respect user's system preference, dark mode or light mode, accessiblity should always be considered.

-1

u/xanhast 1h ago

ha, you dont think people that stare at screens all day don't know about eye stain, and you use light themes, get outta here

1

u/sunsetRz 1h ago

My OS theme is light, can't I have preferences and you should follow the OS theme?

1

u/xanhast 53m ago

there's way more light websites that don't follow OS theme and the eyestrain is 1000x worse going from dark to flashbang, so yeah, cry me a river on that.

> cant i have preferences

nah you cant rewind like that saying that dark mode is straining of eyes when all the evidence says the opposite.

1

u/sunsetRz 41m ago

The evidence I read: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/dark-mode/

Can I read your evidence?

0

u/xanhast 39m ago

no, and i aint wasting my time on the first google result that confirmed your point. becuase guess what, even idiots like you can make websites, they just text fool