A toggle is a switch that allows you to control something in a particular state, for example enabling or disabling features. They are a common element in modern interfaces but, like most elements, they can cause problems if not used correctly.

In general, toggles are used when you want to apply a setting immediately with no need for a Save or other input. They are generally found in settings or options menus but they can be applied to any type of view or content. However, the use of toggles should be limited since they can be confusing if not carefully implemented.

Most users will understand the meaning of a toggle if it is clearly labelled and has an obvious visual cue. For example, most designers will use a more pronounced or saturated color to signify the active toggle and a lighter color for the inactive toggle. This works well in most cases but some users, particularly those with color blindness, will struggle to interpret these cues and may misunderstand the toggle.

Another issue with toggles is that they can easily be confused with other types of buttons such as radio or checkboxes. To avoid this confusion, it is important to make sure that the toggle is always used to manage a specific state, and not just a collection of items. In most cases, it is better to use a button rather than a toggle if you need to manage multiple states, as this will provide more consistency and clarity for users.

When you are using toggles, you must be very careful to test your designs thoroughly to ensure that the user will understand what they mean and how they work. This can be tricky as it is not always possible to test every toggle configuration that will be live in production. However, if you can test the feature toggle configuration that will be released (with all toggles flipped on) and also test it with toggles flipped off then you should have a good understanding of how your users will use your toggles.

In addition to testing all the feature toggle configurations that will be live in production, many teams also perform some tests with all the feature toggles flipped off. This can help to catch any regressions in future releases and should be considered a standard part of your testing process.