Toggle is a user interface element that enforces a mutually exclusive state of “on” or “off.” It’s commonly used in hardware (like the Caps Lock and Num Lock keys on keyboards) and software (like options menus).
Feature toggles enable developers to update preferences, settings and other types of information quickly. When used correctly, they help users feel in control and deliver immediate results. However, when poorly designed they can have negative impacts on user experience. To make them effective, toggles should have clear labels and be consistent in their visual design.
When using toggles in production, try to limit the number of features that they affect. If a toggle is used to update multiple pieces of content, it can cause significant performance issues. This can be caused by a large number of database calls to retrieve the updated value, which in turn can negatively impact the experience of the users who need to use those pieces of content.
The best way to mitigate this issue is by using an A/B test to validate a new toggle before adding it to the production site. For example, if an e-commerce company wants to know whether users prefer one suggestion algorithm over another, they can add the experiment toggle to the configurator, then use a modulo to split the users into two cohorts. Once the data shows that more users complete their orders using the preferred algorithm, they can remove the experiment toggle and apply it to all users.
