A toggle is a switch used in everyday technology devices like phones and tablets to enable or disable features. In programming, toggles are used to represent a decision point that allows users to choose between different codepaths. For example, when an ecommerce company decides that their new checkout flow is not working and they need to try something else, they can create a feature toggle that consistently sends a user down one of two codepaths (or even both, depending on the results of their A/B test).
The toggle is also a common component in user interface design for software applications such as websites, mobile apps, and desktop programs. They are especially useful for updating preferences, settings, and other types of information. Toggles can be a powerful tool, but they are most effective when deployed strategically and implemented consistently.
When designing a toggle, consider its position on the screen and how easy it will be for users to find and interact with. Toggle switches should be placed in areas where users will naturally move their eyes and hands to. Additionally, they should be easily distinguishable from other elements on the screen. This can be achieved by using clear, direct labels and standard visual design. Finally, it is important to keep in mind that toggles can add extra clicks to a screen and should only be used when necessary.
Toggle switches that require a user to press Save or Confirm button before changes take effect should be avoided, as this can cause frustration and reduce the overall usability of a feature. A more efficient solution is to replace the toggle with a checkbox that requires an immediate result.
Keeping an inventory of feature toggles in your system is important to ensure that they are not causing confusion for your users. It is best to deploy a process for vetting new toggles and for pruning old ones as soon as their lifecycle runs out. This can be accomplished by adding a toggle removal task to your team’s backlog or building the process into your management platform.
In addition to being a useful tool for deploying A/B tests, feature toggles can be used to perform more advanced analytics. A toggle router can be used to track the aggregate behavior of multiple cohorts of users and can make data-driven optimization decisions based on the results. For example, a company can use a toggle router to decide whether a new checkout flow is performing better than their current one and then deploy the improved version to all users with the click of a button.
Traditionally, toggle configuration has been managed by static files, which can become cumbersome to maintain and modify as the size of your user base grows. For this reason, many organizations prefer to move their toggle configuration into some type of centralized store, such as an existing application DB or an admin UI. This also helps to ensure consistency across deployments and enables teams to manage changes to their toggle configurations with confidence.
