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15 Comments

What do you think about dark-mode-first sites?

Hi,
I really love dark mode but somehow I saw not many people prefer dark mode as I do.
I'm currently building a SaaS but I've built it in dark mode first and currently have no options to go light mode, so all the background colors are mostly dark.

What do you guys think about it?
What do you think about SaaS dashboard that goes dark-mode-first?
Do you guys think having a bright theme is better than dark for a site / app?

Anyway check out also my project https://duply.co

  1. 2

    We have a dark-mode first website and dashboard (https://pirsch.io/). I think dark mode first depends on the audience. Technical users or people working late at night probably prefer the dark mode, while the average non-tech-savvy person would pick the light mode.

  2. 2

    I personally prefer dark mode but my hesitation in building dark mode first is for most people with normal vision light mode is easier to read .

    1. 2

      Thanks for sharing the article, now I'm thinking of adding light mode 😂

  3. 1

    I really like Dark Mode. However, it is easy to mess up by picking jet black or really dark colors. If executed well, it could look awesome.

    I've built Junior-Boss (https://junior-boss.com) in light mode, with a toggle to switch to dark mode. I only added Dark mode after building the entire page in light mode. Luckily, I picked my color pallet before starting (https://coolors.co) and the darker blue worked well for dark mode without being too hard to read.

    My dilemma now is that I like my Dark Mode better than the original Light mode and unsure if it makes sense to make that the default.

  4. 1

    We're building Hardcover (https://hardcover.app/) to be dark-mode first. We showed the designs to users and they immediately loved it. One thing that's working for us is that we're showing a lot of book covers, which look beautiful against a dark background. It's the same reason why every TV/Apple TV app that shows movie/tv show covers uses a dark background. For our product it made sense.

  5. 1

    Although I co-founded one of the most profitable dark mode extensions, I would advise you to not go dark mode first.

    It could be really tricky and limiting to work with a product with dark mode only especially if the work environment has good daylight.

    The better route will be to go with a light UI and allow the users (those who prefer dark UI) to enable it through a browser extension. At some point in the near future, develop a dark UI yourself and promote it.

    1. 1

      Yeah, I forgot lot of people who tend to use dark mode are using an extension

  6. 1

    I prefer light mode for the same reason others prefer dark mode, but in reverse: dark mode feels dazzling and uncomfortable to me.

  7. 1

    For me, a dark mode switch is a massive cue the founder is building shit they don't need (unless your product is validated ofc).

    Probably an exception if you're in the dev space.

  8. 1

    I like Darkmode first too, but you want accessibility on your site, so give it as an option...

  9. 1

    Personal opinion, I'd definitely go for dark mode. Its much easier to read and I noticed my attention span is longer when using dark mode.

  10. 1

    Love me some dark mode... mmmm. If I'm your target market, put a big ol' switch to dark mode or better yet a chat pop up that asks and does it for you.

  11. 1

    Who cares? Is your startup validated first? That's the fundamental question I'd ask initially.

    Do your customers care about dark mode, like developers? Does it take you the same amount of time to make it dark as it does to make it light? Then sure, make it dark.

    Otherwise, don't worry about it.

  12. 1

    I think building the light theme first is the way to go. It's what most sites default to, is the most normal for people, and is the easiest to read.

    If you're building a B2B product, then most people will be using it during the day, so light mode wouldn't be a problem.

    Of course, it's always good to add an option for dark mode for those who prefer it. But I actually think that's the minority. As makers, we're a little bit biased in that regard because we're often building late into the night 👀

    Case in point: Supabase started off building only dark mode for their website and dashboard, and had to add a light mode later on.

  13. 1

    Hey! I had the same question a few months ago. In that moment I thought that it should follow users preference but then I realised not everyone have the option to choose that (windows users) so I finally decided going for dark mode always.

    Also, as a solo maker, I don’t have the resources to maintain two different style sheets :p

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