Gazit, T., Tager-Shafrir, T., Zhong, H.-X. et al. (2 more authors) (2025) The dark side of the interface: examining the influence of different background modes on cognitive performance. Ergonomics. pp. 1-14. ISSN: 0014-0139
Abstract
With the pivotal role that dark mode plays in user interface design, its widespread adoption across various applications and operating systems is evident. This study aims to investigate the potential effects of different background modes (light and dark) using cognitive ability tests and collect demographic variables for analysis. A total of 173 participants from diverse geographic regions worldwide completed an online survey comprising cognitive tests. The experimental results demonstrate that cognitive scores were higher in light mode compared to dark mode. Additionally, younger adults performed significantly better than older adults in light mode, while participants with academic education scored higher than those without in dark mode. In both modes, men outperformed women. A majority of females prefer light mode, while a higher proportion of males feel comfortable with both modes. These findings address the gap in understanding the impact of dark mode, offering practical insights in inclusive design practices.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | Dark mode; gender; age; cognitive non-verbal tasks; interface design |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Design (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 26 Sep 2025 15:02 |
Last Modified: | 26 Sep 2025 15:02 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/00140139.2025.2483451 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:231852 |
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Licence: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0