Toggle is a key tool in the Continuous Delivery arsenal that allows product teams to test features with a segment of users before rolling out to all customers. From testing new functionality to acting as circuit breakers during high latency periods toggles are an extremely versatile tool in your toolbox.
However, like any powerful design tools toggles can be misused if not implemented correctly. If a toggle isn’t used to enable or disable features and instead serves as an indicator for the status of existing features, it can be confusing for the user. It’s important to make sure that you use a clear interface icon for each toggle and update its appearance, based on its state, so that the user is not confused. This means that the toggle should look different when it’s on than when it is off, and using a simple color signal for each state (ie red for on and green for off) helps clarify its meaning.
In addition to implementing clear icons and colors for each toggle it’s also important to use the wording carefully. Using the word “on” for an on/off switch is common in many apps and websites, but it can be confusing to users. Often times it’s better to use a more descriptive word, such as active or enabled. Toggle switches that appear to be a checkbox or radio button can be especially confusing for users. These types of controls typically don’t include any text indicating their on/off state, so they must rely solely on other visual cues to communicate their status. Choosing a high-contrast color and adding a label to identify the current state can help prevent confusion as well.
Toggles are great for enabling or disabling features, but they’re also incredibly useful for navigating between different views and settings within an application. A great example is the ability to switch between stream and map view in a social media application. It allows users to easily switch between multiple vantage points without having to open a new window or tab and can help reduce cognitive load.
One of the most popular uses for toggles is in the context of responsive design. Creating responsive experiences requires the ability to hide or show content as the user’s screen size changes. This is where toggles can be particularly helpful by allowing you to control the visibility of navigation menus or sidebars without having to update a single line of code.
Savvy product teams view their feature toggles as inventory that comes with a carrying cost. They should be proactive in removing toggles that are no longer needed and some teams even go so far as to put expiration dates on their toggles. While this approach can be difficult in a shared development environment with a CI/CD pipeline it is an effective way to control the number of toggles in a release and avoid unnecessary duplication in your codebase.
