What Is a Togle?

Togle is a term used in computer hardware and software to refer to switches that have two opposing states, On or Off. Toggle switches are common on keyboards, as well as on devices that can be controlled with a set of keys such as a phone or tablet.

Toggle Switches are a simple user-interface component that can make a huge impact on your app’s or site’s usability and overall user experience. Toggle Switches are typically used to help users update preferences, settings and other information.

Labels are an important visual signifier for toggles, and should clearly identify the setting, view or content that they control. Avoid using neutral or ambiguous labels that are confusing or counterintuitive to your audience.

Use high-contrast colors to signal a state change. This helps users identify the state of a toggle and makes it easier to understand the difference between a on and an off position.

In addition to color, state descriptors such as “On” or “Off” can also be useful. These are similar to “red” and “green” in other applications, but are a more specific identifier of the system’s status.

Release Toggles are transitionary by nature and should generally not stick around much longer than a week or so, although product-centric toggles may need to remain in place for a longer period of time.

Managing toggle configuration with static files is relatively fiddly, and can become difficult to ensure consistency across a fleet of servers. As a result many teams move toggle configuration into some type of centralized store, often an existing application DB. This allows team members to view and modify feature flags from a single interface.