A toggle is a switch that can be changed between two states or modes. It is commonly used in everyday technology devices and software applications to enable or disable features. It can also be used to switch between different display modes or settings.

Toggles are often used in form fields in web and mobile applications to enable users to select multiple options or settings at once. They can be particularly effective in forms with many options or when there is a lot of data to select from. They are usually accompanied by clear, descriptive labels to help users understand the current state of the toggle. In order to avoid confusion, it is important to ensure that toggles are properly labelled and that visual cues such as color changes or animations are used to signal when their state has been changed.

In addition to ensuring that toggles are labelled clearly, it is important to consider how they will be perceived by users. When selecting a color for the toggle button, it is recommended to choose high-contrast colors and consider the societal and cultural implications of these choices. For example, a red toggle could be confusing for users who associate this color with stop signs and traffic lights. It is also recommended to provide text descriptors next to the toggle buttons if possible. These can help to clarify which toggle is active or inactive and help to reduce user error.

Another consideration when designing toggles is the speed at which the toggle will update its current state. Users may become confused or frustrated when the toggle takes longer than expected to change state. For this reason, it is important to design toggles so that the change in state is as immediate as possible. This can be achieved by adding a processing status loop animation, or by using a checkbox instead of a toggle if the form is short enough to be completed within a few seconds.

One of the most common uses for toggles is in A/B testing. By enabling or disabling features based on the results of previous experiments, it is possible to increase conversion rates and drive customer lifetime value. Toggle tests can be implemented in a variety of ways, from simple if statements in the codebase to complex decision trees. Toggle tests can be triggered by fitness test results from other features, a flag in a feature management tool or a variable provided by a config file.

A good practice when designing toggles is to name them descriptively, so that any team member can see what the feature does and its purpose. This will also help with documentation and troubleshooting when errors are encountered. For instance, a feature toggle with a clear name of “cookies” will make it easier for a developer to identify the correct behavior when an error occurs in production.