Toggle is a term used to describe the way that features in software applications are activated or deactivated. This is an alternative to using a checkbox or radio button to manage the state of an option. The toggle can be turned on or off by changing the value of a flag in a configuration file. This enables you to change the behavior of an application or website without having to change its codebase.
Toggles are often found in everyday technology devices like smartphones where they control the state of WiFi or Bluetooth. They can also be implemented in software applications to control the visibility of different options based on screen size or device type. Toggles are often useful in responsive web design as they allow developers to create a more dynamic and user-friendly interface based on the user’s device or screen size.
What are the best practices when implementing Toggle?
To make the best use of toggles, it is important to have a process in place for managing them. This should include a method for vetting whether a toggle is the appropriate solution to a problem, and a process for pruning idle toggles as they age. In addition, it is best practice to avoid relying solely on toggles for things that can be managed by other means, such as using a list or menu instead.
Ideally, toggles should be reserved for options that control the state of content or a view. Toggle-based interfaces can easily get overloaded with too many options, leading to a confusing and overwhelming experience for users. Toggle-based interfaces should also be used sparingly, as they require additional coding and infrastructure support that may lead to bugs or performance problems.
In general, toggles should be visually distinctive and update their appearance based on their current state. This allows people to understand what each toggle is affecting without having to read the label. However, this can be challenging since toggle buttons often look similar and rely on visual cues to convey meaning. For example, most toggle buttons use a simple color scheme to indicate which side is active, and this can lead to cognitive issues if the toggle’s current state is unclear.
Many designers add colors to toggles to help clarify their meaning, but this can be dangerous for accessibility reasons. It is important to remember that the proximity principle, WCAG 1.4.1 and other accessibility guidelines can be violated if a toggle relies on only a color to communicate its state.
Another consideration when using toggles is that they are often accessed by multiple teams and need to be easy to navigate and modify. As such, it is a good idea to move toggle configuration from static files into some sort of centralized store (usually an existing application DB), and to build out some form of admin UI which lets team members, product managers and testers view and modify the toggle configuration. This will prevent accidental or misguided changes from being made and minimizes the amount of code that needs to be fetched when the toggle is activated.
