Toggle is a digital trade journal that highlights the vital role technology plays in business and society—and the men and women who make it possible. We explore the many ways that technology transforms the way we live, work and play—from data privacy and cybersecurity to artificial intelligence and the cloud.
A toggle is a switch that can be either on or off. In the context of a web page or application, a toggle is used to hide sections and items from users until they are clicked. The toggle is usually only visible in the presentation view and not in the editing interface. There are several different ways to do this, and a designer must decide how they want to convey the toggle state to users.
When a toggle is not clearly labeled, it can cause confusion for users. The primary visual cue for a toggle button is typically color, and the designer must decide whether to use a more pronounced or saturated color for the active cue and a lighter or less saturated color for the inactive cue. This decision is made easier when the toggle is not inverted, which has been shown to increase error rates for some users.
Some teams name their toggles with some kind of meta-data to help them manage their inventory. This helps someone on the team understand where the toggle came from and why it was introduced, and it can also provide useful clues when debugging. Savvy teams keep their toggle inventory low, and remove them as soon as they are no longer needed. This is often done by adding toggle removal tasks to the team’s backlog or by building a process into their management platform.
