A toggle is a switch that has two positions, on or off. Toggles are found in software and hardware everywhere from the Caps Lock and Num Lock buttons on keyboards to options menus in programs. In terms of user interface design, they are a great choice when it comes to enabling users to update settings or preferences without needing to hit Save or Submit. Toggles are often preferred over radio buttons and checkboxes because they don’t force a mutually exclusive default state.
When designing a toggle, it is important to think about how it will be used. This is especially true for toggles that are not accompanied by text on/off. In the case of these, a user will have to rely on other visual cues such as color and movement to understand the toggle’s current state. The first thing to keep in mind when designing a toggle is that the visual indication of a state change must be clear. A toggle that looks like a slider, for example, will provide an immediate feedback to the user because it will be obvious when the position of the switch changes.
Moreover, it is essential that the visual cues of a toggle are accessible to users who rely on screen readers and other assistive technologies. Unfortunately, many toggles are not properly designed to be accessible for this group of users. This is a big mistake because it can lead to confusion for people who need these tools and can also result in usability issues.
Another issue to consider when creating a toggle is the impact it might have on frontend performance. Since toggles are usually dynamic and rely on database calls to change their state, they can create large amounts of database traffic if they are used frequently. To avoid this problem, it is a good idea to keep feature toggling to a minimum and only use it where necessary.
While a feature toggle can be a useful tool in certain situations, it is a mistake to use it as a default control for every setting. This can be confusing for users and cause unnecessary performance overhead for the backend.
Additionally, it is important to remember that a toggle should only be used when the change it makes has an immediate effect. If a toggle is applied to a setting that does not have an immediate effect, a different type of control should be used such as a drop-down list or radio button.
Toggles should be limited to settings that are relevant to a particular page or section. This way they will not confuse or overshadow other features. It is also important to make sure that the toggles that are used are not overlapping in any way. Adding a toggle to a setting that is already being changed by another control can create a mess that is difficult to debug and can ultimately lead to inconsistent behavior. Therefore, it is best to make a decision on a case-by-case basis whether a toggle is needed for a particular bug fix.
