A toggle is a switch that has two positions: on and off. It’s a simple idea, but it can have some big implications if used poorly.

Toggles are not a great idea for use on web pages because they can be confusing. The reason is that it can be difficult for users to determine what a toggle will do based on its positioning or color. It’s well known that many designers choose to have toggles that look like sliders in order to make them easier for users to read, but unfortunately this doesn’t always work. Toggle switches often have only one label and are placed in such a way that it’s easy to assume that right means “cookies” or left means “no cookies.”

Another issue is that toggles often require some type of additional information before the user can activate the toggle. This can be in the form of a checkbox, a radio button, or a dropdown menu. In these cases the extra information may be necessary to get a user’s consent before activating a feature. This can add a lot of friction to a page and increase the time required to get a feature live.

Lastly, there’s the fact that toggles can negatively impact performance. Especially if they’re dynamically re-configured. If you are using a system that requires a database call to update a toggle’s state this can lead to thousands or even millions of queries for something that rarely changes. This can have a negative effect on production performance and should be avoided if at all possible.

If you’re implementing a toggle purely for experimentation or testing, it can be a useful tool to ensure that a fix doesn’t negatively affect the user experience. This is done by creating a toggle that will consistently send a specific cohort of users down one codepath and another, allowing you to measure the impact of your change on the user experience.

However, it’s worth weighing the pros and cons of creating a toggle around bug fixes, as it can be difficult to ensure that the fix does not worsen the problem. It’s also a good idea to have a process in place to quickly verify how a toggle will perform in production, so that you can avoid unnecessary regressions.

Toggle is a powerful, yet often misunderstood tool. It can have a huge impact on your business and customer’s experience if used correctly. So be sure to take the time to learn more about how to utilize this tool, and remember to consider your user’s experiences when designing your next site or app! The Toggle team is happy to provide additional information or help answer any questions you might have. Contact us at support@toggleapp.com or use the chat box on this page.