A toggle (or switch) is a control that allows the user to turn something on or off. It is found in many everyday technology devices and applications. It can be used to enable or disable features, switch between different settings, and change display modes.

Toggles are heavily used in modern interfaces. Unfortunately, they are also often made inaccessible. In this article I’ll describe the issues that come up when using a toggle and show you a simple HTML + CSS only implementation of an accessible toggle that can be used right away in your own projects.

A common issue is that toggles are not correctly labeled. They are often placed next to other controls – which makes it difficult to determine their current state from the labels alone. A proper naming convention can help. If a toggle is an active button, then it should have a label like “Cookies” – not just a checkmark icon. Likewise, a toggle that has an indeterminate value should be marked with aria-pressed to indicate this state.

Another issue is that toggles often use low-contrast colors to represent their states – which can make them difficult for users to understand if they are currently on or off. This can be fixed by using high-contrast states and by adding explicit naming conventions to the toggles.

In addition, a toggle should be designed to support multiple states in a consistent way. This means ensuring that the state can be reverted to its original state by clicking the toggle again, and that the toggle can be flipped to a new state without having to click it again. This can be done by using a toggle that uses a checkbox for its input method instead of a button, and by including the data-closable attribute in the markup.

Toggles can be useful for performing multivariate or A/B testing. They can be used to send users down one codepath or another, and then tracked to see the effect on engagement. This can be an effective way to improve the design of a product before making a larger commitment.

Toggles can also be used to quickly prototype a new feature in production. However, they must be used carefully in a shared environment as they can cause confusion and break existing functionality. Savvy teams view Feature Toggles as inventory with a carrying cost, and they are proactive in removing them when they are no longer needed. Some even put an expiration date on their toggles to ensure that they are removed in a timely manner.