A toggle is a switch that can be set to two different positions, on or off. It’s commonly used in everyday technology like phones and computers. Toggle can also describe the way we switch between screens when video chatting with two friends at once.
Feature Toggles give teams remarkable flexibility in deploying and testing new software features. But if they’re not handled properly they can lead to confusion and unnecessary risk for the users of your product.
Toggles are most effective when they’re clear, consistent and well-designed. They need to clearly define their default state and provide a clear indication of which state they’re in when pressed. They also need to have a simple design with direct labels and use standard visual signifiers like movement and color. And they should deliver an immediate effect.
Color is an important cue for a toggle’s current state, but be careful with using it! For example, if you’re using green for “on” and red for “off”, it can be confusing to users who have red/green color blindness. The proximity principle is not the same for them, so green doesn’t necessarily mean “on”.
A savvy team views their Feature Toggle inventory as a cost of doing business and strives to keep it as low as possible. They do this by adding a task on their backlog to remove toggles that are no longer in use and putting expiration dates on them. This approach gives them the confidence to move fast, decrease MTTR and ignite their dev teams without burning them out!
