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Switched from dark mode to light mode for my wireframes and color contrast got WAY better
I used to think dark mode was just cooler looking so I designed everything on a dark background. Then I tried showing my UI mockups to a client who wears reading glasses and she said she couldn't tell where the buttons ended. So I flipped my Figma file to light mode just to test it and suddenly I could see the ratios were off by like 2 points on some text. Ran a contrast check and 4 of my combos failed WCAG AA. Now I do all my rough drafts on white. Anyone else find dark mode hides bad contrast choices?
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wadepalmer8d ago
Did you check your contrast ratios again after going back to dark mode?
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Heard a talk from this accessibility researcher once who said dark mode is like putting makeup on a bad design. It hides the flaws but doesn't fix them. She showed this example where a dark button on a dark background looked fine until you put it next to a white background and the whole thing fell apart. I thought she was being dramatic until I tried it myself. Now I design on light mode first, then check dark mode after I know the contrast passes.
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