Togle is a term used in software development to describe an option that allows you to turn something on or off. Oftentimes toggles are implemented as an on/off switch, but they can also be a slider or checkbox with a clear state. When implemented properly, toggles provide a simple and intuitive way to control complex functionality.
One common misconception about feature toggles is that they’re more complicated than traditional form fields because of the additional code needed to support them. However, this complexity is not necessarily a disadvantage. The main challenge with toggles is to design them so that they produce immediate results. Ideally users should only have to click the toggle once, and any subsequent changes should be applied automatically. If the user needs to click a Save or Confirm button, it may be safer to replace the toggle with a regular form field.
Additionally, toggles must be clearly labeled to avoid confusion. The wording should be descriptive, and designers should consider visual cues like color to help clarify the current state. For example, using a green “on” and red “off” could confuse users with cognitive issues such as red/green color blindness.
When a team decides to release a toggle, it is important to test with both the current production configuration and the fall-back configuration where the toggle is flipped Off. This helps avoid surprise regressions in the future. Some teams go as far as adding a task to the backlog for toggle removal when it becomes unneeded and some use “expiration dates” that will fail a test (or even refuse to start an application!) if a toggle isn’t removed before the expiration date.
