Insights

Insights

16 April 2026

Readability for dark mode and light mode

Dark-first design means starting with a dark canvas from the beginning—not just flipping a light theme. You build hierarchy using borders, tonal surfaces, and subtle luminance shifts instead of shadows, which don’t work well on dark backgrounds.

Key challenge: readability. Long-form content is still easier to read on light backgrounds, so forcing full dark mode can hurt UX. A hybrid approach (dark UI, light content areas) is often more effective.

Implementation takeaway: a proper dark system needs multiple surface levels (background, elevated, secondary, overlay). Using just one dark grey isn’t real dark mode—it flattens the interface.

Dark-first design means starting with a dark canvas from the beginning—not just flipping a light theme. You build hierarchy using borders, tonal surfaces, and subtle luminance shifts instead of shadows, which don’t work well on dark backgrounds.

Key challenge: readability. Long-form content is still easier to read on light backgrounds, so forcing full dark mode can hurt UX. A hybrid approach (dark UI, light content areas) is often more effective.

Implementation takeaway: a proper dark system needs multiple surface levels (background, elevated, secondary, overlay). Using just one dark grey isn’t real dark mode—it flattens the interface.

5 Feb 2026

Passwordless Authentication

Passkeys simplify login dramatically: no passwords, no recovery flows—just email + biometric confirmation in two steps, reducing friction and cognitive load.

For designers, this removes the traditional login screen as a branding space. Since passkeys are invisible, the “entry moment” shrinks to a quick biometric prompt, so brand expression needs to shift to post-login moments like loading states or welcome screens.

Passkeys aren’t optional anymore—they’re quickly becoming the standard. The key design opportunity now lies in the brief transition after authentication, which becomes the new onboarding moment.

23 Jan 2025

4 best practices when we design the UX UI (from apple)

  1. Limit onscreen controls to focus users on the primary task, allowing more exploration space for secondary tasks.

  2. Provide users with control over appearance settings, offering options for personalisation.

  3. Design with human habits and ergonomics in mind.

  4. With consent, integrate platform-provided data to enhance the experience without requiring extra user input.

5 Nov 2024

"Design for our emotions. Our need for connection. Our desire for variability." Jo Ash Sakula

Neurodesign emphasizes creating unforgettable experiences by leveraging emotional engagement in product design. Key strategies include making endings memorable, utilising embodied cognition to enhance interactions (Create interfaces that mimic and enhance physical moments.), and applying the endowment effect for personalisation (Let people feel they own the product). Building anticipation and surprise keeps users engaged, while rituals foster community and accomplishment. These techniques enhance customer satisfaction, loyalty, and sharing, ultimately leading to higher retention and lifetime value. Successful design taps into human emotions and the desire for connection and variability.

©

2026

Designed by Xiaotong Mao
©

2026

Designed by Xiaotong Mao