Forum Discussion
Dark mode for Storyline 360
Hi there
Just wondering if there is a way now (or will be...) in SL360 settings to have the build tool adjustable to a dark grey background and tool bars like in the MS Office suite and Adobe CC programs. I jump from those with a nice dark grey to Storyline 360 and it's bright white window is a bit of a jolt on the eyes...
Cheers
Simon
174 Replies
Count me in for this. I spend 8+ hours a day on a 4K monitor 24 inches from my face. All my other apps - Microsoft, Adobe, Camtasia, Resolve - all have an easily-toggled dark mode. SL is painful to use. Literally. Please consider the health and accessibility of your users.
We'll get dark mode when we get a Mac or web version of SL 😄
We will get GTA6 before we get Dark Mode.
This! So much this! All my other apps are set to dark mode. Opening Storyline is like turning on a flashlight in a dark room at midnight.
Hi JulieBeddoes​,
Thanks for adding your perspective. I understand that switching from dark mode apps into Storyline feels jarring to you, especially when you're working late or spending long stretches developing courses.
I'm curious:
- Does this mostly help reduce eye strain during long editing sessions, or are there other workflow benefits you'd expect from a dark mode interface?
- When does the current interface have the biggest impact on your workflow?
- If Storyline had a dark mode, what difference would it make for you or your team?
Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience.
Thank you for engaging with the community on this, but respectfully, this isn't just a minor preference or a "nice-to-have" feature—a native Dark Mode for Storyline 360 is a fundamental accessibility and usability requirement for professional e-learning developers.
To directly answer your questions:
1. Reduce Eye Strain & Prevent Cognitive Fatigue
The vast majority of developers using Storyline are working in front of screens for 10 to 12 hours a day. Staring at a high-contrast, bright white canvas framed by an equally bright white, unyielding UI for hours on end causes severe eye fatigue, chronic headaches, and physical strain.
When every other core tool in a modern developer's tech stack—from the Adobe Creative Cloud suite to Microsoft 365, browser dev tools, and audio/video editing software—supports system-level dark themes, switching into Storyline’s glaring white interface is like stepping into a room with harsh fluorescent lights on full blast. It isn't just "jarring"; it is physically uncomfortable and directly impacts how long we can sustain focus without suffering digital eye strain.
2. Biggest Workflow Impact: Contrast Distortion & Color Accuracy
The current bright UI has a massive negative impact when designing custom UI components, high-contrast layouts, or darker, immersive slide themes:
- Perceptual Color Distortion: Designing dark-themed slides, custom video interfaces, or low-light scenarios inside a blinding white authoring tool distorts visual perception. White surroundings trick the eye, making slide colors, contrast ratios, and subtle gradients appear drastically different than they actually are.
- Seamless Context Switching: Many of us work across dual or triple monitor setups, constantly moving assets between Photoshop/Illustrator (in dark mode) and Storyline. Flash-banging our eyes every time we drag an asset into Storyline causes constant visual readjustment, disrupting focus and breaking flow state.
3. What Difference Would Dark Mode Make?
For individual developers and enterprise teams alike, a dark mode interface translates to:
- Sustained Productivity & Health: Decreased physical fatigue means longer periods of deep focus and better well-being during intense project crunch times.
- Modern Industry Standard: Storyline is the flagship tool in the instructional design industry. The lack of a dark UI makes the software feel visually dated compared to every other major professional design tool on the market today.
- Accessibility Compliance for Authors: Accessibility isn't just for end-users viewing published courses; it applies to the content creators building them. Light sensitivity, photophobia, and migraines are real conditions, and an all-white UI actively creates a barrier for developers with visual sensitivity.
The community feedback across this forum is overwhelming and consistent: we need a Dark Mode theme option for the Storyline authoring interface.
We love the power of Storyline, but we desperately need an interface that prioritizes the health, comfort, and daily working reality of the professionals who rely on it for hours every single day. We strongly urge the product team to move this from a discussion topic into active development.
Thank you!
