Unavoidable Eye Strain After New Update

I understand it can be frustrating to make changes to your app and wait through the week or two of constant complaints as the existing user base adapts to these changes.

Discord, I'm unhappy with the new UI, but it's not because of the changes to app layout that you've recently made, although it has accessibility-related issues that other posters have talked about at length. I'm personally unhappy because while making theme color changes, you've forgotten to consider users with eye impairments (e.g., astigmatism). Most people will not be affected (and therefore will not care) about the new “Dark” theme. As someone with several eye conditions that make this theme problematic, I unfortunately have to care. To be clear: I would rather not have these conditions so that your new “Dark” theme would not cause me issues.

While high-contrast text is great for some users with visual impairments, it is already available via the new "Midnight" theme. For other users, high-contrast text is blurry, difficult to read, requires squinting, and physically hurts to look at. I fall into this second category of users. Your mobile app is now borderline unusable for me because of the eye strain. There is no theme I can switch to to avoid this. I know users like me are a minority and, as I'm sure you already know, most users will become resigned to living with any new changes and stop complaining after a while, but I hope that "some users will now always have eye strain, and can only avoid it by buying Nitro and setting up a different theme" isn't an acceptable solution for you. It is not fair to make payment the only option that lets people avoid eye strain.

I don't expect to be heard, but I urge that when looking at making any changes to app themes in the future, you keep users with visual impairments in mind. It is good to have at least one high-contrast text theme and one low-contrast text theme available. The old gray theme was a great low-contrast text option. Until then, I suppose all I can do is either limit Discord usage on my phone or get used to being in pain.

tundrakatiebean

08 Aralık 2023 18:58

I'm having a similar issue. I'm prone to migraines when I have eyestrain so I just straight up can't risk using the discord app anymore.

I've cancelled my nitro in protest of the blatant disregard for accessibility that has been apparent with this update and with a lot of previous ones that include extra movements which are also migraine triggers for people like the super reactions and moving pfp frames. It is really easy to find accessibility guidelines or to run suggestions by an accessibility knowledgeable person. Just making an option for “old school dark mode” and “new dark mode” would fix this without changing the pay to have other color models currently in place.

Niarra

09 Aralık 2023 21:32

I made a similar post and I am now going through and upvoting every related post. The app is borderline unusable for me now for any length of time, and absolutely unusable for the long periods of time (hours of reading) I have always previously used it for.

Keep everything else, we'll deal, but not allowing us the option to use an old color theme that still exists in the coding is just petty and terrible, especially when it has been their classic theme for years.

Cninaz

10 Aralık 2023 03:38

I chuckled and almost ignored other Discord users compaining about the update but after being forced to update… I sincerely apologize. I have had a headache since and use Discord often throughout the day. Between the change in contrast and what appears to be a thinner and smaller font it is causing unbearable eye strain.

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