A toggle is a button or switch that allows users to update preferences, settings and other types of information. They are particularly useful in situations where the user can only choose between two opposing states, and they help ensure consistency and clarity when making changes. Toggles should be clearly labeled, visually distinct from other controls, and should utilize movement and color to convey their current state. In addition, designers should consider societal and cultural implications when using colors for toggles. For example, the color red may be counterintuitive for users because it is often associated with stop signs and traffic lights.
In general, it’s best to only use toggles in a limited set of contexts and to limit their usage to scenarios where they are necessary. If possible, avoid the use of toggles in places where other forms of input are more appropriate, such as checkboxes or radio buttons. In some cases, it’s appropriate to use toggles in combination with other types of control such as sliders, which offer additional functionality and make it easier for users to manage complex settings.
For releases where a toggle will be transitioning to new behavior it’s wise for teams to test their product with both the expected toggle configuration and the fallback configured to be Off. This prevents any surprise regressions when the feature is rolled out to production. For more-long lived toggle configurations such as those used in Experiment Toggles it’s also a good idea to provide some sort of runtime reconfiguration option for teams so they can use the toggle with its intended behavior without having to re-deploy their whole application.
