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A toggle is a switch that lets you switch back and forth between two settings or programs. It’s usually a hardware switch found on computers and other machines. It’s also a metaphor for switching between tasks at breakneck speeds. You can toggle between stream and map views in the free museum app, for example, to see the latest information and get different perspectives.

Feature toggles are used by development teams to temporarily disable code so they can test it and build out new features without interrupting the production workflow. They can be triggered by a wide variety of conditions, including fitness tests from other features in the codebase, a setting in a feature management tool or a variable provided by a config file.

When deploying a toggle, it’s best to use only when the control will help users update their settings or preferences (i.e. states of system functionalities) and when the context supports using a simple icon with direct labels that communicate what state the toggle will be in. In addition, the visual design of a toggle should be based on standard interface design patterns and should utilize clear color indicators to signal state change and avoid confusion for users.