A toggle is a switch that has two positions: On and Off. It is commonly used in technology, computing, and programming to provide a user interface element for switching between different settings or modes. In software development, a toggle is also known as a feature flag and it is often used to run experiments and gather data about the impact of a change. This data is then compared to the status quo, providing a clear picture of what is working and what isn’t. This information is useful for practicing progressive delivery, as it allows a team to determine whether a new feature is ready to be released to the wider population of users.

Toggles are also useful for managing the features of an application. For example, some applications might use toggles to enable or disable different themes for the user’s experience. This allows a developer to experiment with the best possible user experience and evaluate whether a new theme provides better results for the majority of users. Toggles can also be used for other user-interface elements, such as the ability to display or hide navigation menus in responsive web design.

When designing a toggle, it is important to consider user experience and accessibility. The user should be able to easily understand what each toggle does, and the effect that it will have on their experience. Toggles should be clearly labeled, and they should be designed with standard visual design elements such as a circle or rectangle. Additionally, it is important to consider a toggle’s color, as this can communicate a lot about the state of the switch. For example, a red toggle can be an indication that a feature is disabled, while a green one may indicate that the feature is active.

As with any user-interface element, it is important to test toggles thoroughly. Testing should include both the toggle configuration that will be deployed and a fallback configuration with all toggles flipped Off. This will help to prevent a bug from being introduced when the toggle is switched back to On and is an excellent way to avoid regressions in production.

There are many approaches to using toggles, ranging from simple but less dynamic approaches such as hardcoding with an #ifdef comment through to more sophisticated approaches such as a runtime feature configuration system. The most effective approach will depend on the level of sophistication required for the toggle and the need for it to be managed at runtime.

Split is a feature management platform that gives you the confidence to move fast without breaking things. Split makes it easy to set up and safely deploy feature toggles in production and connect them to context data. Schedule a demo to see how Split can give your team the tools they need to drive continuous improvement.