Abstract
A current trend in mobile user interface design is to provide alternative color modes (ACMs), such as light mode, dark mode, and high contrast mode, to improve people’s interaction experiences according to their vision access needs and/or the environment. For example, high contrast mode can improve UI visibility for people with low vision and for people using their smartphones in bright sunlight. However, little is known about the experiences of people using ACMs. To address this, we interviewed 29 people with and without vision impairments to discuss the benefits and challenges of ACMs. We found that while ACMs are beneficial, the current implementation results in accessibility and usability issues, particularly for people with vision impairments (e.g., negative health consequences and affected work performance). Using our findings, we outline steps the HCI community should consider to address current limitations and improve future ACMs.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Publication Date
9-9-2025
Document Type
Article
Department, Program, or Center
Information, School of
College
Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences
Recommended Citation
Sarah Andrew and Garreth W. Tigwell. 2025. Understanding the Experiences of People With and Without Vision Impairments When Using Mobile User Interface Alternative Color Modes. Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact. 9, 5, Article MHCI034 (September 2025), 25 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3743704
Campus
RIT – Main Campus
