A toggle is a button that allows users to choose between two opposing states like on and off. It typically has a different appearance for each state. This type of button is often used in technology, computing, and programming to allow users to easily switch between settings and modes. For example, you may use toggle in a computer application to enable or disable Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, as well as to switch between desktop and mobile view. It is also common in everyday technology for users to toggle between a live stream and a map view when using a navigation app. In addition to allowing people to manage the state of content or views, toggles help to keep pages clear and focused by helping to minimize scrolling. For this reason, they are sometimes used to replace more complex widgets on content-heavy pages.
A common design pattern for web applications is to create a toggle that lets people decide whether or not to display user-specific data, like location, account details, and other preferences. This is an alternative to a drop-down menu or a multi-select field that requires users to make multiple choices, which can be confusing and time-consuming for some users.
Toggle switches are also used in software programs to allow developers to change the behavior of their code with a single click. This allows teams to deploy new features while retaining existing functionality and enables developers to test both the new and old behavior of a system simultaneously. In contrast, traditional waterfall development models would require a full code change and testing before those changes could be merged into trunk code.
Generally speaking, when designing your toggles it is best to clearly identify the setting, view, or content that the toggle affects. Clearly labeling this helps to clarify the purpose of the toggle and can reduce confusion for people who may be unfamiliar with your interface or product. Providing an icon to represent this state can further communicate the meaning of the toggle and its current state.
Additionally, it’s best to avoid making a toggle that affects both the frontend and backend of your software. This increases the number of database calls and can slow down your production servers. Instead, if the feature only affects the frontend, consider hiding it behind a header or query parameter so that it doesn’t require a database call.
Finally, it’s important to regularly prune your inventory of toggles. It’s not a good idea to have too many old toggles lying around in your code, as these can slow down production performance. When a toggle’s lifecycle has run its course, it should be removed from your code and replaced with an appropriate alternative. This can be accomplished with either commenting or more sophisticated approaches that require code changes. Toggle pruning should be part of your team’s regular QA process so that your code stays tidy and performant.
