Context
Gameram is a social app where gamers find people to play with. In interviews, the request for a dark mode kept coming back: gamers told us they play mostly at night and the light theme tired their eyes.
I worked with the designer, the CPO and the analytics team, who provided the data, with users in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and the US.
“I love dark mode so much. Light mode at night makes my eyes ache.”
US participant, 23Research question: is dark mode a real priority, how do we build it well, and does it change user behavior?
Approach
Each product phase had a different question. I chose the method for the question.
Findings
New users with dark mode converted 30% more.
In the A/B test, new users with the dark theme converted 30% more than those with the light theme. The calculation used product analytics and was validated with the data analyst. The discovery insight held up in the experiment.
After launch, the design worked.
The app followed the phone’s theme instantly, no one found “invisible” elements in the chat, and everyone completed the 4-step path to the setting: Profile, Settings, Appearance, Dark theme.
The real problem was knowing the option existed.
Many people simply didn’t know they could change the theme. Among those who knew about the option, 74% used dark mode, vs. 54% of those who didn’t.
Dark mode was the first choice in all four countries.
In the survey with about 650 users, 57% to 62% preferred the dark theme in each market. The top reasons were eye comfort and battery saving.
Outcome
Research guided dark mode in every phase and showed the next step: raise awareness of the option, not change its usability.
A bug and chat themes that didn’t match the dark palette went to the backlog, with clear evidence.
Some details have been simplified for confidentiality.