A toggle is a user interface component that allows users to update preferences, settings, and other types of information. When used effectively, toggles can simplify forms and improve usability. However, the use of this simple component in complex designs requires careful thought and consideration. Choosing the right visual cues, writing direct labels, and using standard visual design are all important factors in designing an effective toggle.
Toggles are often used in software development to perform multivariate testing, or A/B testing, on features that can have a variety of different outcomes. Toggles are especially useful when you want to run a test that will affect a large number of users simultaneously. For example, you might test whether a different version of a checkout flow has a positive or negative impact on sales or conversions.
Another common use for toggles is to control the appearance of navigation menus or sidebars in responsive web design, where you can adjust the visibility of these elements based on screen size and device. Toggles are a good choice for these kinds of responsive controls because they require less space than checkboxes, and they can be activated or deactivated with a single click.
In general, when you’re designing a toggle, you should make it clear what it does and what state it’s in at any given time. The best way to do this is by clearly identifying the option, setting, or view that the toggle affects, and by using an interface icon with a familiar meaning. You should also use a color that conveys its current state, but avoid using colors with societal or cultural associations that might confuse users.
Typically, toggles appear as a small switch that has two positions: ON and OFF. In some cases, toggle switches look more like sliders or other kinds of visual indicators, but they must still provide a clear visual cue that the switch is on or off.
The most important thing when designing a toggle is to consider the implications of its current state on the user’s experience. You should choose an active color and ensure that it contrasts well with the background, and you should add text that clearly states the action that will occur if the toggle is in its on position.
When a toggle is no longer needed it’s important to remove it from the code as soon as possible. Otherwise, it can become a source of confusion for your team members, and the more toggles you have in your codebase, the more maintenance overhead you’ll face. Savvy teams treat the inventory of feature toggles as an investment with a carrying cost, and they are proactive in removing them once their lifecycle has run its course. This can be as simple as adding a task to the team’s backlog to remove an old toggle, or it could involve more sophisticated approaches such as creating “expiration dates” on toggles that will fail a test (or even refuse to start an application) once they reach their expiration date.