[AMPLIFY]: Openverse's Dark mode project

[fcoveram]

What is the goal of this amplification request? (select all that apply)

Inform community/make an announcement (no action necessary)

What is the intended audience(s) for this content? (select all that apply)

General WordPress community, WordPress users (existing), Agencies/Enterprise

Are there any specific platforms where you would like this to be shared? (select all that apply)

Any/All/Don't know

Campaign

#WPOpenverse

MakeWP Team

Openverse

What do you want to amplify?

Show the upcoming dark mode feature of Openverse

Amplification request details

Show the benefits of shifting the user interface to a dark theme.

Dark mode is a product-wide setting that adapts the user interface to provide a comfortable experience in low-light environments and, in some cases, improve accessibility for those with visual impairments, as pointed out by NN/g.

The project is being tracked in Openverse repository, issue 3592

Links

No response

Deadline

No response

Additional important dates

No response

Any additional notes or details? If you marked "Other" above, please provide additional details here.

The project is currently in progress, so this issue intends to inform in advance one of the releases planned for this year that impact Openverse's UX/UI.

Additionally, the project proposal document has a section related to marketing to list new or existing campaign opportunities. Any marketing idea, either specific or broad, is welcome to complement the documentation and keep the comms' next steps trackable.

The request was also shared in the slack channel.

[fcoveram]

Hey folks 👋

Coming back to this issue after months to ask whether this request could be kick off soon. The dark mode project (openverse#3592) is almost done and we are ready to communicate the new features publicly on our channels.

If this request is able to be addressed, who could be the DRI? Regarding graphic material, I'm the individual who will do it.

[eidolonnight]

@bjmcsherry can DRI the social piece of this. We also haven't talked about Openverse on WordPress.org News for a while. This might make a nice short post.

@fcoveram do you have screenshots, video, or other assets that you can share here? Any recommendations for copy? Looks like this has been in the works for a while.

[fcoveram]

Thanks @eidolonnight for the response. A post on WordPress News sounds excellent ✨

Regarding assets, we only have the mockups. But I can create any piece needed for the post on News and any other channel.

For the copy, here is a list of the project aspects worth mentioning.

• Project goal: Refine the search experience by adapting the user interface to the user's preference
• The feature brings the brand essence to a dark context
• The new dark theme does not compromise accessibility as it targets AA level, as per the accessibility team definitions.
• The project also introduces a new way of showing upcoming features in context.

The design issue (openverse#3959) could inspire other ideas in addition to the above ones.

As for the next steps and the visuals needed, I suggest creating a draft to iterate the content so that I can create the graphic pieces needed depending on the content extension.

How does that sounds @eidolonnight @bjmcsherry ?

[fcoveram]

I forgot to mention three things:

1. In the design issue, the most relevant content for this purpose is the initial comment.
2. The design of Openverse homepage change during its development. Here is the latest design already implemented.
3. You can see dark mode working here. You first need to:
   • Go to the preferences page
   • Toggle on the dark_mode_ui_toggle control
   • Go back to the homepage by clicking on Openverse logo in the top-left area.

[fcoveram]

Coming here to kindly ask if you folks @eidolonnight @bjmcsherry have talked about a tentative time to work on this. This work doesn't block the implementation.

[bjmcsherry]

@fcoveram I will work on this today, and come back early next week with some copy for a social campaign that we can review, and possibly look at how we add a design to this.

[fcoveram]

Awesome. Thanks @bjmcsherry

[bjmcsherry]

I have a draft for everyone with the Openverse Dark mode campaign here.

I wanted to point out a couple of things.
1.) It includes two options for pre-launch and post-launch. I don't have a date for this, so the pre-launch is slightly ambiguous, and just saying that it is coming.
2.) Both of the pre/post campaigns come with copy that has slight variations. Using the information I have from the project thread, I created a version that is more "features-driven" and one that is more "Accessibility-driven." I got a sense from the project threads and here that both are important aspects of the 'why', so I included it just to provide some talking points, but I am happy to listen to all feedback, and we move in the direction that works best for this project.

Thanks, everyone.

[fcoveram]

Thanks @bjmcsherry for the draft. Here my thoughts.

1. As a team, our expectation is for a post-launch. Ideally, launching with posts on socials showing the new feature.
2. You're right that both accessibility and features are key aspects in the project. In that regard, option 2 covers better the improvements we want to meet with the project. Once you start working on the final content, please ping me in the document so I can revisit and suggest changes if needed.

Regarding deadlines, we didn't set a specific date as we're progressing continuously, so pinging @WordPress/openverse-maintainers to ask the following two questions:

• Is the implementation done to start working on this? I can work more actively on the draft in addition to the visuals needed, but if dev hasn't finished yet. Can you please provide a date?
• What is a good date for lunching the project and the posts on social? If the code work is finished, any of the week's first days sounds good to me. December 9th could be a good day for announcing and putting the feature public to everyone.

For the visuals, I can start working on them by the end of this week. Besides the post on News, what other channel are you considering for this @bjmcsherry? In the past I've seen posts on X (Twitter) and Instagram. Asking this to make and adapt the assets for each site/service.

[bjmcsherry]

@fcoveram Thanks for the feedback. I will work on the post-launch angle now. This copy for the General Features will target X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram. Tumblr isn't a very responsive audience for us, but since this is a photo-centric post, I may post it there as well. I can work on a /News post as well, but would I be able to get a quote from Openverse or, specifically, someone who worked on the project? It might be a nice callout in the /News post to have this included.

[fcoveram]

Tumblr isn't a very responsive audience for us, but since this is a photo-centric post, I may post it there as well

That sounds good.

I can work on a /News post as well, but would I be able to get a quote from Openverse or, specifically, someone who worked on the project?

Perhaps @dhruvkb or @obulat can provide a short paragraph noting a key improvement or challenge. I'm thinking of how we had to "rebuild" the whole UI. Any ideas are welcome.

To confirm the outcome of this. The announcement will involve a post on News and posts on X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, and Tumblr, where these latter imply a short paragraph and a gallery of screenshots/mockups. Am I correct?

[dhruvkb]

The post launch posts look good. I have some small feedback on the content.

• Battery life: The impact of dark mode on battery life would be microscopic. For one, we don't use pure blacks so the pixels would still have to be turned on, and on an image-heavy site like ours, there is very little black on the screen anyway and the content will determine how much battery life is actually saved. Calling it "sustainable" feels like a stretch to me.

• Accessibility: While dark mode does make the site more accessible in low-light situations and for people who might have light sensitivity, the true accessibility leap has only been unblocked by this change, which would be adding support for high-contrast and color-vision-deficiency-friendly themes. I'm not downplaying the a11y gains here, only pointing out that much more a11y gains will be made now that theming is supported.

I want to re-emphasise that the posts are great and no specific changes are necessary. I only wanted to suggest focusing the posts more around the topics of comfort ("now play beach sounds to sleep at night") and personal style ("dark mode everywhere!").

---

As for the quote, my part in this was smaller so I'll defer to @obulat on that front. I do remember @fcoveram had to put in an inordinate amount of effort (and color science) to prototype many many different palettes before he found the perfect one that was balanced for both light and dark modes. That experience is also definitely quotable from the design perspective.

[bjmcsherry]

@fcoveram That's what I am thinking. The quote doesn't need to be long. I was thinking it could be used in a quote block similar to this post.

The tactics are correct, though. If we want a post on /News, I will begin working on that and get something for us early next week.

The post launch posts look good. I have some small feedback on the content.

• Battery life: The impact of dark mode on battery life would be microscopic. For one, we don't use pure blacks so the pixels would still have to be turned on, and on an image-heavy site like ours, there is very little black on the screen anyway and the content will determine how much battery life is actually saved. Calling it "sustainable" feels like a stretch to me.
• Accessibility: While dark mode does make the site more accessible in low-light situations and for people who might have light sensitivity, the true accessibility leap has only been unblocked by this change, which would be adding support for high-contrast and color-vision-deficiency-friendly themes. I'm not downplaying the a11y gains here, only pointing out that much more a11y gains will be made now that theming is supported.

I want to re-emphasise that the posts are great and no specific changes are necessary. I only wanted to suggest focusing the posts more around the topics of comfort ("now play beach sounds to sleep at night") and personal style ("dark mode everywhere!").

Thanks for the feedback. I will revisit these posts and make adjustments.

[bjmcsherry]

Here is an updated piece of copy for social that is again focused on General Features and only for post-release:

Openverse.org now features a sleek, modern Dark Mode designed for your comfort and style. 🌘

Why explore in Dark Mode?

-Experience easier browsing in low-light environments.
-Enjoy a look that complements your personal aesthetic.
-A thoughtful design for users with light sensitivity.

✨ Switch to Dark Mode and make Openverse.org your own today: [Link to Openverse.org]

#WPOpenverse #WordPress

If this works now, I will move on to creating a larger piece for the blog post.

[fcoveram]

The above works well

[bjmcsherry]

Thanks, @fcoveram. I have a draft for the blog post here that we can begin to review. It focuses on the same elements as the social post. The title is a play on the "Sight for Sore Eyes" quip. I like it here as a light and playful lead-in, but we can adjust if needed. We also have a generic Quote Block that should be filled in later by someone with Openverse, but for now, I have placed it for visibility.

[dhruvkb]

I like the post very much, and the title is great too. It's quite "light" (hehe!) and casual, while including all the points we needed to make. Thanks!

[fcoveram]

Great work @bjmcsherry. I added a few comments and inserted the images made for this and the posts on socials. In this drive folder you can see all images and the video attached.

[obulat]

Thank you for writing the post, @bjmcsherry, I also like it! As for the socials posts, I prefer the first options with the emphasis on accessibility because they highlight our values.