Toggle is a button or switch that allows users to select between two states or options. It can be found in everyday technology like phones and computers to turn on WiFi or Bluetooth, as well as software applications that allow users to change settings or display modes.
In general, toggles are used to provide users with a simple and intuitive way to control their experience. While the concept behind toggles is fairly straightforward, the execution can be complicated in practice and it’s important for designers to consider all the variables when designing their product.
One of the main challenges with using toggles is the risk of confusion. To avoid this, designers use visual cues to help users understand the state of the toggle. This includes using colors that are easy to read (WCAG 1.4.1) and evaluating cultural or societal implications for the choice of color. In addition, designers should use clear labeling to avoid ambiguity.
The use of toggles in software development has become increasingly popular because they help developers maintain control over complex applications during code deployment. By allowing teams to easily roll out and back features in production, feature toggles can reduce the amount of time spent debugging and shorten development cycles. However, when using toggles in a large-scale application it can be difficult to manage the configuration of the feature flags and ensure consistency across servers. In these situations, many organizations move toggle configuration out of static files and into some type of centralized store — typically an existing application DB — which is easier for system operators, testers and product managers to access and modify.
Another benefit of feature toggles is their ability to help maintain and stabilize applications during high latency periods. Because toggles can be used to remotely disable and enable elements in an application, they are a useful tool for managing stability during stressful periods in the market. They can also be used to create kill switches to quickly disable and re-enable functionality if necessary.
As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to keep Feature Toggles short-lived if possible — they should be ready for a full production release within a week or so at most. While it’s possible to re-introduce them later on, this can lead to an inconsistent user experience and unnecessary delays in resolving issues.
Toggle’s Insights are always thoroughly back-tested. In fact, we’ve recently enlisted the help of a third party to test the predictive power of our Insights on some of the world’s most volatile assets during a major correction. The results were very encouraging — every Insight exhibited solid performance during the testing period and was able to identify key turning points in a market. We’re very proud of our team for their hard work on this project! If you’re interested in learning more about our research, please visit our Insights page to see the results for yourself. If you’re a member, log in to view the Insights dashboard.
