Toggle is a user-interface element that allows users to update preferences, settings, and other types of configuration. When used well, toggles are a simple yet effective way to improve a site or app’s usability. Toggles should provide clear labels, use standard visual design, and deliver immediate results. Toggle switches should also be differentiated from other controls by using a different color, a clear state descriptor, and a meaningful name. In addition, a team should have a process for vetting whether to use a toggle or another method to solve a particular problem. This process should include a process for pruning idle toggles from the codebase.

Toggles allow teams to quickly deploy new features without disrupting the production environment or impacting existing users. They’re especially useful when working with complex interfaces where it would be difficult to test a feature in its entirety. This method also supports more agile development models by allowing a team to deploy features that are still in progress while performing a code sprint. Traditionally those new features would need to be written on a separate branch and then undergo a lengthy testing and QA cycle before they could be merged into trunk code.

Toggles can become a maintenance burden if left unused, so it’s important to prune them from the codebase as soon as they reach their natural end of life. This can be done by adding toggle removal tasks to a team’s backlog or building the process into a management platform.