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In design, a toggle switches between two opposing states—on and off, for example—using different appearances to indicate each state. The word is also used as a verb, such as “toggle between screens as you video chat with two friends at once.”

Toggles are often displayed in a form that can be clicked or otherwise activated to change its state. For this reason, it’s important to keep design guidelines in mind when designing toggles. These guidelines can help developers build more intuitive interfaces that meet user expectations and minimize confusion.

The first best practice is to clearly identify the setting, view, or content that a toggle controls. This allows users to understand what will happen when they click the toggle and ensures that they aren’t surprised by any unexpected behavior. Moreover, it’s best to use interface elements that convey the state of the toggle—such as a slider or a checkbox—and to update the toggle’s appearance based on its current state. This helps avoid any ambiguity and makes the toggle easy to locate and manage.

Another best practice is to limit the scope of a toggle’s control. It’s tempting to cover a wide range of features with a single toggle, but doing so can create complexity that reduces developer productivity. Additionally, if a toggle is accidentally changed and the wrong behavior occurs, it can be hard to debug weeks or months down the road. Therefore, it’s better to keep a toggle’s scope small and manage its lifespan carefully.

It’s also important to name toggles in a way that provides useful information about their purpose. This can prevent a bug fix from accidentally worsening the behavior it’s intended to correct. For example, it’s helpful to include the ticket number and a description of what happens when the toggle is changed.

Finally, it’s important to categorize feature toggles and regularly audit them for technical debt. This can help maintain the integrity of the codebase and prevent unnecessary complexity from piling up. By keeping a tight focus on the scope of a toggle, naming them clearly, and managing their lifespans, teams can enjoy the benefits of feature toggling without drowning in technical debt.