A toggle is a switch that can be flipped between two different states or options. It’s commonly used in technology, computing, programming, and communications to provide users with a way to change settings and modes. When you activate a toggle, it switches to one state and when you deactivate it, it changes back to the other state.
A toggle can be found on keyboards, phones, tablets, and computers. For example, a toggle on a phone can be used to turn off the ringer or turn on the camera. This feature is particularly useful when you want to focus on a specific task, but still have the ability to access other features on your device.
In software development, toggles are used to enable or disable features for a small group of users without changing code. These tools are similar to A/B tests but allow for a more controlled environment and can be rolled back remotely. A toggle can be a great tool for testing new code and ensuring that the latest version of an application is live before it goes into production.
Toggles are simple to use, easy to understand, and deliver immediate results. When designing toggles, be sure to use direct labels and standard visual design, so the switch is clear and unambiguous. It’s also important to avoid relying solely on color for distinction – this can be a cognitive issue, especially for users who aren’t familiar with your interface.
Using toggles for A/B testing allows engineering teams to test new features in real-world environments before they are deployed to the entire user base. For example, our e-commerce company may add an experiment toggle to their configurator that buckets users into two cohorts based on the algorithm they are testing. If the toggle is switched ON, the test will run and the company can then compare results between the two algorithms to see which performs better.
A toggle can also be used to rollback a feature before it goes live. When a team has determined that a feature is unstable, they can disable it by flipping the toggle to OFF. This allows engineers to fix any bugs in the feature before it is rolled out to all users.
Toggles are also useful for supporting agile development processes, by allowing developers to release features even while they’re in progress. Traditionally, these kinds of features would have been written on separate code branches, but toggles make it easier to ship features more quickly and with confidence. Toggles should be used sparingly and with caution, but they can be a valuable addition to your development toolkit. If you do decide to use them, be sure to use them consistently across your product and keep the number of toggles low so that they don’t create management overhead. Ideally, toggles should be retired as soon as they have served their purpose.
