The Toggle: Enabling Binary User Switching
The Toggle component allows users to switch between two states, such as on/off or enabled/disabled, a common UI control for settings and preferences.
Features
Discover the key features of the Toggle Button component.
Effortless Toggling
Toggle enables easy switching between states, enhancing user interaction by providing a simple and intuitive mechanism for toggling. Users can conveniently switch between options with a single click, improving efficiency and usability in various applications and interfaces.
Clear Visual Feedback
Visual cues indicate the current state, aiding user understanding and providing immediate feedback on the toggle action. With clear visual indicators, users can easily discern the active and inactive states of the toggle button, ensuring clarity and reducing confusion in interaction.
Customizable Design
Tailor toggle button styles to match interface seamlessly, ensuring consistency and alignment with your brand's visual identity. Customize toggle button components to suit different design themes or preferences, enhancing overall interface appeal and user experience while maintaining a cohesive design language.
Anatomy
Toggle Body
This is the container that houses the toggle switch, visually indicating the current state of the option (on or off).
Toggle Switch
A movable element that shifts position to indicate the selected state.
Example Use Cases
Settings Panels
Providing users with the ability to toggle various settings or preferences on or off, such as dark mode, notifications, or auto-save options.
Filtering and Sorting
Allowing users to toggle between different filter options or sorting criteria in data-heavy interfaces like tables, lists, or grids.
Form Controls
Incorporating toggle buttons into forms for selecting between binary options, like opting in or out of email subscriptions, agreeing to terms and conditions, or enabling two-factor authentication.
Interactive Elements
Enhancing the interactivity of user interfaces by enabling users to switch between different views, modes, or states, such as switching between list and grid views in a file manager or switching between edit and view modes in a document editor.
Guidelines for Usage
To ensure effective use of the Toggle component in designs, adhere to the following guidelines:
Clear Visual Representation: Design the Toggle with clear visual indicators to distinguish between its active and inactive states, such as color changes, iconography, or text labels.
Consistent Behavior: Maintain consistent behavior across the application by ensuring that the Toggle behaves predictably and follows standard interaction patterns, such as changing states immediately upon user interaction.
Accessibility Considerations: Ensure that the Toggle component is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, by providing sufficient color contrast, keyboard navigation support, and ARIA attributes for screen readers.
Feedback Mechanisms: Provide visual feedback to users when they interact with the Toggle, such as animation or hover effects, to indicate the state change and reinforce the action taken.
Scalability: Design the Toggle component to be scalable and adaptable to different screen sizes and resolutions, ensuring consistent appearance and usability across various devices and platforms.
Variants
.toggle-default
The default state of the toggle, indicating that it is not active.
.toggle-checked
The state of the toggle when it is selected or checked by the user.
States
.toggle :enabled
The default state where the component is fully interactive and ready for user actions. It appears normal and invites interaction.
.toggle :hover
The state when a user places their cursor over the component, indicating it is ready for interaction and often visually changes to show responsiveness.
.toggle :focus
The state showing that the component is currently selected or active, highlighted for user awareness and accessibility purposes, often with a border or shadow.
.toggle :*disabled
The state where the component is visible but non-interactive, indicating it is not available for use. It often appears faded or greyed out to signal its inactivity.
Best Practices vs. Common Pitfalls
Do:
Ensure that the toggle component maintains a visual consistency across various states to prevent user confusion.
Utilize the toggle groups for organizing related options under a common header to streamline user interfaces.
Include meaningful headers and descriptions in the toggle groups to provide context and clarity to users.
Don't:
Avoid using toggles for actions that have immediate and significant effects; a button or another confirmation step would be more suitable in such cases.
Do not use the toggle component to represent more than two states; it is designed for binary choices.
Refrain from using different sizes of toggles within a single group to maintain visual harmony and a cohesive design.