A toggle is a control that has two states: on and off. It is used to quickly select an option in a list without having to click Save, Submit, or any other input. Toggles are commonly seen in form fields and checkboxes, but they can also be found in a variety of other interface elements like radio buttons or sliders.
When designing a toggle, the most important thing to consider is its label. It should answer the question “What will happen if I press this button?” This means it needs to be action oriented and have a binary answer. It should also include a visual cue to indicate its current state. This can be as simple as a change in color or the addition of an on/off wordmark. Choosing the right visual indicator is crucial because it can be confusing to users when a toggle does not reflect its current state with clear, concise, and meaningful copy.
In addition to acting as a user-facing control, toggles can also be used to enable trunk-based development for teams practicing Continuous Delivery and perform multivariate or A/B testing. By setting up a feature toggle in your codebase with different configurations, you can test new features or changes to existing features with a segment of your user base before rolling them out to the entire audience.
This is a key feature of Agile development processes, and it makes sense to implement this type of functionality into your application as well. It’s much faster and more cost-effective to use toggles than to create a separate code branch and go through the traditional development, QA, and release process before the feature is ready for mass production.
Toggles can be categorized by their function or purpose and are named accordingly. Typically, they are distinguished by their icon and by their type, which helps teams manage them more effectively. For example, a toggle with a dark theme for the UI should be named “Dark Theme” to distinguish it from the default light theme.
As with any other type of interface element, there are some best practices when it comes to designing a toggle. For example, it’s essential to avoid using a toggle for a control that requires user input because this can confuse the user. It’s also best to limit the number of toggles in a control or page so that the user doesn’t become overwhelmed.
As you can see, toggles are extremely versatile tools that can be applied to almost any type of interface design. However, it’s important to understand the problem statement and target users before implementing them. With careful planning, you can build an effective toggle that will provide your users with a great experience.
