Toggle is a word that describes the way we switch between things. It’s used a lot in everyday technology. For example, a toggle switch is often found on computers and other machines that can enable and disable features like WiFi or Bluetooth. On smartphones it’s possible to toggle between video chatting with two different people at once. It can also be a verb: you’d use “toggle” to switch between the different cameras on your drone to get the best view of the action.

In programming, the term toggle is most often used to describe a piece of software code that allows a user to switch between different states of a program or feature. The most common toggles are those that turn a function on or off. These are generally the most powerful because they can change the behavior of an entire application and usually affect multiple parts of it at once.

However, some toggles are only effective if they’re activated at just the right time and aren’t overly complicated or confusing to use. The problem is that too many developers use toggles without taking accessibility into account. When this happens, the toggles are often completely inaccessible for users who rely on assistive technologies or screen readers to access websites and applications. Even when developers and designers know how to make accessible toggles, they’re not always effective at doing so. For example, when a toggle button is not labeled with the text “ON” and “OFF” it becomes unclear for users who rely on color to convey meaning. Even though WCAG guidelines recommend that we don’t use only colors to convey meaning, there are plenty of other ways to achieve this goal (checkboxes, for instance).

A good practice when using feature toggles is to name them so that someone familiar with the codebase can quickly understand its purpose. This helps avoid confusion and improves testability and documentation. It’s a simple thing that makes a big difference in the long run.

Another way to help manage feature toggles is by using a feature flag management system that provides an in-memory re-configuration. This type of system can reduce the amount of work required to re-test a release for regressions by eliminating the need to manually re-deploy the toggle in a testing environment.

While this type of system is more complex and expensive to implement than some other alternatives it’s worth considering if you’re implementing feature toggles that require dynamic in-memory configuration. This is especially important for toggles that are designed to be flipped at runtime and used for experimentation purposes. The ability to re-configure these types of toggles is an invaluable tool in the quest for better design and faster feedback.