A toggle is an element that allows users to switch an option on or off. Typically, a toggle is a checkbox or radio button that has been flipped from its default position (on) to its opposite position (off).

Toggles are popular with web designers because they allow them to convey information in a compact way. However, they can be confusing for users, especially when the toggles are not well designed and rely on color alone to convey meaning. In addition, many toggles are inaccessible to screen readers and other assistive technologies.

When using a toggle, it is important to provide clear labels and use other visual cues (like movement) to avoid confusion. In addition, toggles should be designed to look like sliders rather than buttons, and they should utilize standard visual design elements to help them stand out.

In order to make a toggle easier for users to understand, it is recommended that designers use a darker color for the active option and a lighter color for the inactive one. Research has shown that using this color scheme helps reduce the error rate and increases user confidence. However, in some cases, this is not enough. For example, some people have red/green color blindness and may not be able to distinguish the difference between green and red.

Toggle switches are also difficult for users to comprehend when they are inverted. Inversion confuses users by making the inactive option more pronounced than the active one. This can be a problem because inversion can confuse users and cause them to doubt their instincts, which leads to more errors. Additionally, inversion can lead to a negative impact on the user experience, because users are less likely to interact with the control, which can negatively affect their performance.

As a result, it is recommended that designers don’t invert toggles when possible. Instead, they should utilize other visual cues to communicate their states or provide additional explanation of the behavior when the toggle is flipped.

When designing a feature toggle, it’s important to test both the current production toggle configuration and a fallback toggle configuration with all toggles flipped On. This will help prevent regressions in the future. In addition, it’s helpful to perform testing with a Champagne Brunch approach, whereby a new toggle configuration is only exposed to a select cohort of users for a period of time. This allows the team to evaluate the performance of the toggle in real-world usage and make changes before it becomes available to all users. Using this method can be an effective and low-cost alternative to full rollouts.