A toggle is a user interface element that allows users to update settings, preferences, and other features in a product. These elements typically provide direct labels and use visual cues to indicate the state of the toggle – on or off. When used correctly, toggles are a great way to make it easy for users to update these preferences and settings. However, when misused, they can become a source of frustration and confusion for users. To avoid these pitfalls, toggles should only be used when they are necessary and where it makes sense to do so.
There are several ways to implement a Toggle, and it’s important to understand the pros and cons of each option before selecting one for your application. One common technique is to use a Toggle Router, which enables teams to perform multivariate or A/B testing on specific parts of their application without having to modify the core code. Using this technique, it’s possible to optimize things like the purchase flow on an ecommerce site or the call to action wording on a button.
Another way to use Toggles is to use Feature Flags, which enable a team to dynamically change the configuration of specific service instances. This is often useful when testing a new feature with existing production users or for providing a temporary solution to a problem. These types of Toggles are sometimes referred to as Champagne Brunches or Canary Releases.
The most important thing to remember when implementing a Toggle is that it should always be clear what the intended impact of the configuration will be. This is why it’s good practice to always use high-contrast colors to indicate the active status of a Toggle and provide a clear description of that effect in the label. It’s also important to consider the societal and cultural implications of these color choices – for example, using red as the active status might be confusing for some users who associate that color with stop signs and traffic lights.
In addition to these design guidelines it’s a best practice to test every toggle configuration that will ultimately be used in production. This includes both the current production toggle configuration and any future toggles that you intend to release flipped on. Additionally, many teams will also test a fallback configuration that has all toggles flipped off to ensure that any unexpected regressions are caught early.
For large applications it’s often more efficient to move the management of a Toggle Configuration out of static files and into an existing centralized repository such as an application DB. This will help to simplify the task of managing a large number of Toggle Configurations and making sure that they are being applied consistently across a fleet of servers. Additionally, it will allow for more flexibility in the types of configuration changes that can be made as the organization grows and matures.
