Dark user interface, dark behavior? The effect of ‘dark mode’ on honesty

Luka Koning,Marianne Junger

doi:10.1016/j.chbr.2021.100107

Abstract

Situational factors affect human behavior, among which dishonesty. Previous studies linked darkness to an increase in immoral behavior. Simultaneously, ‘dark mode’ is increasingly offered in software. Accordingly it is important to investigate the moral behavioral effects of dark mode. In a high-powered, pre-registered, and economically incentivized experiment, users of ‘dark’ and ‘light’ user interfaces were compared on honesty. Results showed no general effect of dark mode on honesty. However, dark mode promoted honesty in users that were awake for a longer period of time. As such, implementation of dark mode is safe and may even be encouraged.

Highlights

Research from several disciplines shows that behavior is strongly impacted by the environment it takes place in
The current study was built on a body of research which shows that situational factors affect human behavior, among which dishonesty
Previous studies showed that darkness may boost immoral behavior, as well as that even darkness embedded in a user interface (UI), ‘dark mode’, can produce a psychological-behavioral effect

Summary

Introduction

Research from several disciplines shows that behavior is strongly impacted by the environment it takes place in. These research streams have led to a wide range of studies on risk factors for dishonest behavior (Jacobsen et al, 2018; Gerlach, Teodorescu, & Hertwig, 2019). Dark mode is a software feature which presents a user interface with lighter-colored elements on a darker-colored background. This UI style, which is known as a ‘night/light-on-dark mode/theme’ or a ‘dark UI’, is increasingly offered as an alternative to the commonly standard ‘light mode’ UI (Pedersen, Einarsson, Rikheim, & Sandnes, 2020). Users may prefer dark mode for diverse reasons (Eisfeld & Kristallovich, 2020) One is that they find a dark UI to be aesthetically pleasing. Another one is eye comfort: research has shown that, in low-light conditions, the use of a dark UI may reduce visual

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