Toggle is a term used in technology, computing, programming and communications to describe switches that can be switched between different states or options. Toggles are found in applications such as video chat services that allow users to toggle between two screens while communicating with a friend. In web design, toggles are a common way to allow users to change the visibility of elements within an article.
Toggles are easy to use and can be helpful when presenting multiple options to a user. However, they must be used carefully and in context to avoid confusing or misleading the user. Toggle buttons should always be clearly labeled and the user should be able to determine what state a toggle is currently in. Toggle labels should be short and direct, and not include more than three words. They should also be presented on the right side of the toggle. This is to follow the proximity principle of visual cues, and is required to meet WCAG 1.4.1 guidelines.
In some cases, a toggle may be used to perform multivariate or A/B testing. By placing users into cohorts and then directing them down one codepath or another a team can measure the impact of a specific change on user behavior before making it permanent. Generally speaking, these types of test toggles should be fairly short lived – although some product-centric toggles might need to stay in place for longer periods of time.
The most common use of a toggle is to enable a feature to be either active or passive. For example, a toggle might be used to make the display of “Send” or “Hidden” messages on a messaging service visible to all users or to only those with paid subscriptions. The decision to make this feature active or passive is made by configuring the toggle, and this configuration can be changed on a per-user basis as new features are added to the system.
This type of toggle is called a feature flag. Typically these are configured on a per-user basis using an Admin interface, but in some cases they can be hardcoded by commenting or using preprocessors like #ifdef, when available. This approach is not as dynamic as other approaches but may be suitable for some situations such as Ops Toggles where re-configuration needs to happen on a continuous basis.
Ideally, a toggle should only be created when there is a clear need to control feature exposure or for troubleshooting purposes. It’s important to consider whether the problem would be better solved by a different solution, such as using a checkbox or radio button instead. If the goal is to enable users to change the visibility of an entire article section, for instance, a collapsible or accordion may be a more effective alternative. For more information about implementing features that require a toggle, see this page.
