Toggle is a simple user-interface component that allows users to update their preferences and settings. When done well, toggles can be easy to use, visually clear, and provide immediate results. However, when implemented poorly, they can confuse and irritate users. It is therefore important that designers choose the right visual clues to represent toggle states.
A toggle is a control that has two mutually exclusive states, on and off. Toggle buttons often employ color as a way to communicate their state but it is important not to rely solely on colors as a means of communicating state, especially since not all users see the same color. Furthermore, using a single color for multiple states can be confusing and may cause confusion for users with color blindness. Moreover, choosing the right color for toggles can be influenced by cultural context as well, such as red being associated with stop signs or traffic signals.
Often, toggles are used as a form of filtering and are often found next to search controls. They can help users filter results to only show what they want or need. This is often done in order to reduce cognitive overload, which can be caused by too many options at once.
Another common use of toggles is to display or hide information based on context. This can be useful for articles, where the toggle can hide sections of an article that are only relevant to a certain audience. For example, a travel blog might have a visibility toggle that can hide maps, photos, and other location-based content for readers outside of the US. This can make the article more reader-friendly and allow for a cleaner, more focused reading experience.
Toggle controls are also a popular way to perform multivariate or A/B testing. By adding an experiment toggle to a production configuration, ecommerce companies can split a cohort of users into two groups and then consistently send them down one code path or the other. This can help determine which algorithm will result in the best conversion rate.
When designing feature toggles, it is crucial to keep the scope of the toggle small. Having too many features controlled by a toggle can become overwhelming for users and create a debugging nightmare for the development team down the road. It is therefore important to only use toggles when it is necessary and when the feature’s effect will be significant.
As with all user-interface components, it is essential that designers ensure that toggles are accessible to users with disabilities. This includes ensuring that the toggle is labelled and uses standard visual design, is clearly positioned, and that it has a distinct visual identity. It is also important to remember that, as with all interface elements, toggles must be paired with text labels that describe their function, and this should be clear to users at all times. This should be done in conjunction with other accessibility practices such as proper color contrast and the use of contrasting fonts.
