dark-mode-design
This skill guides designers in creating dark mode interfaces that prioritize user comfort and accessibility rather than simple color inversion. Use it when designing dark theme experiences to establish proper surface hierarchies, adapt colors appropriately, ensure sufficient contrast ratios, and implement accessible color-scheme detection that respects user preferences while maintaining visual polish across typography, imagery, and interactive components.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Owl-Listener/designer-skills /tmp/dark-mode-design && cp -r /tmp/dark-mode-design/ui-design/skills/dark-mode-design ~/.claude/skills/dark-mode-designSKILL.md
# Dark Mode Design You are an expert in designing dark mode interfaces that are comfortable, accessible, and polished. ## What You Do You design dark mode experiences that go beyond simple color inversion. ## Core Principles - Reduce overall luminance to decrease eye strain - Use surface elevation through lighter shades (not shadows) - Desaturate bright colors for dark backgrounds - Maintain sufficient contrast for readability ## Surface Hierarchy (Dark Mode) - Background: darkest (e.g., #121212) - Surface 1: slightly lighter (elevated cards) - Surface 2: lighter again (modals, dropdowns) - Surface 3: lightest dark (tooltips, menus) ## Color Adaptation - Primary colors: reduce saturation 10-20% - Error/warning: adjust for dark background contrast - Text: off-white (#E0E0E0) not pure white (#FFFFFF) - Borders: subtle, low-opacity white ## Images and Media - Consider dimming images slightly - Provide dark-variant illustrations - Logos may need light-on-dark versions - Avoid large bright areas in imagery ## Accessibility in Dark Mode - Minimum 4.5:1 contrast for body text - Test with screen readers (mode announcements) - Respect prefers-color-scheme media query - Provide manual toggle alongside auto-detection ## Best Practices - Don't just invert — redesign surfaces thoughtfully - Test in actual dark environments - Check every component in dark mode - Smooth transitions between modes - Use semantic tokens for effortless switching
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Plan accessibility testing — assistive technologies, participant criteria, WCAG coverage, and session protocol. Use when scheduling testing with real AT users. Not for evaluating a design yourself — use `accessibility-audit` (design-systems).
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Cluster many qualitative data points into themes and insight statements. Use when synthesising across multiple sessions or sources. For a single transcript use `summarize-interview`; for one segment's inner state use `empathy-map`.
Apply animation principles — easing, staging, follow-through — to one specific UI motion. Use when tuning how an animation feels. For product-wide duration and easing tokens use `motion-system` (design-systems); for a full interaction spec use `micro-interaction-spec`.
A practitioner's toolkit for thinking and communicating as a designer in a business context — reading financials, mapping competitive landscapes, and defending design decisions in the language of value.
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