How to Design a Good Toggle Control

Togle is a simple user-interface component that can make a huge impact on the overall experience of an app or site. It is usually used for changing settings and preferences and only requires a single toggle button to toggle between two opposing states.

Toggle Labels:

Good labels are critical for toggle controls to be understood by users. They should clearly describe what the control will do when the switch is on and what state it currently is in.

Color:

High-contrast colors are best for signaling changes in state. This can help users differentiate between an on and off condition, which is important for people with different societal and cultural backgrounds.

Color can also be used as a visual cue for indicating the status of the control, which is particularly helpful when the control is positioned in an unusual location.

Visual Design:

For toggles that are displayed on a screen, the display should be designed to look like a slider with movement and color to help users understand what the current state of the toggle is. This is especially important for mobile devices where toggle switches take up less screen estate than radio buttons, which require a more complex visual design and can cause users to get confused.

In addition to displaying toggles in a standard way, it is important to configure the toggle switch with a default on/off state. This helps ensure that users know the control will remain in the selected state after they change it, and minimizes the risk of them accidentally selecting a wrong state.