What Is a Toggle Control?

Toggle is a control that can be moved between two states, such as from on to off or from one view to another in a video chat application. It can also refer to a pin or rod that is placed transversely through a hole, eye, or loop on something like a coat or bag to fasten it temporarily. In software development, toggles can be used for a variety of purposes, from experimentation to improving user experience to managing code deployment.

When considering whether a design element should be a toggle, it’s important to keep three things in mind: context, user intent, and state visibility. It’s best to deploy toggle switches in contexts that are relevant to users’ actions and will have a clear impact on the user’s experience. It’s also helpful to consider user intent so that the toggle’s purpose is clear and does not mislead them. Finally, it’s important to ensure that toggle switches are visible to all users through visual cues like color and movement that indicate their current state.

While it’s tempting to put large swaths of functionality under the control of a series of toggles, it’s important to limit this behavior and keep your inventory of active toggles low. This helps reduce the risk of introducing bugs or confusing other teams who encounter them in production. It also reduces the amount of work involved in managing a set of toggles by having processes for pruning them once they’ve run their course.