A toggle is a button that switches between two options. Its states are either on or off, ensuring mutually exclusive outcomes. Toggles are common in technology, computing, and programming as a way to control settings and modes.
They can also be used to create a responsive design. For example, using toggles in an article can allow you to organize content into collapsible sections that minimize scrolling.
The most important design consideration for toggles is that they communicate a clear, unambiguous state. It’s essential to use a high-contrast color for on and off states. This ensures that users can easily recognize the difference between on and off. Additionally, consider incorporating other visual cues to support the user. For instance, using a bold-thin font combination has been found to be highly effective.
Feature toggles also support newer agile development processes, which can speed up the release cycle and get features into production faster. In the traditional waterfall model, dev teams would need to write a new feature on a separate code branch before they could integrate it into trunk code. With feature toggles, teams can keep their code on the same branch but hide it with a toggle until the feature is ready for release or market testing.
Lastly, it’s good practice to give toggles meaningful names. This helps developers and other stakeholders understand what the toggle does, and when it’s active or inactive. This information can be particularly useful when working with large codebases or when a toggle switch is applied to multiple functions.
