What defines a next-generation toggle switch UI?

A toggle switch is a workhorse, designed for clarity. When this basic function is a solved problem, the next frontier is its form and feeling. That is why we see a lot of artistic expression on Dribble, blogs, and top-tier products like the ones from Apple.

So, we can create a translucent, light-catching toggle that subtly blurs the background. Now what? The question we need to answer is, should we move beyond pure utilitarianism or not?

I believe yes, we should.

1. First, because it would make the digital world feel less cold, and more diverse, tangible. With all the vibe-coding tools, we are going to see more generic interfaces, and therefore more users will die of boredom unless we do something about it.
2. Second, it would make our design evolution consistent, considering we already opted for skeuomorphism. "Record" buttons with a microphone icon, a brushed metal texture, and realistic shadows are more interesting than plain ones. Photorealistic wooden bookshelves with book covers teleport us into the seven kingdoms of reading quicker than a simple list of items. It’s like the ‘Harry Potter’ potion Amortentia, evoking the smell of things you really like.

Now, let's look at three ways designers push towards more dynamic and visually rich interfaces.

Morphism

While original skeuomorphism is dead (or sleeping), neumorphism and glassmorphism took its job.

Often called "soft UI," neumorphism is not just an effect. It’s the feeling of soft clay pushed up from a flat surface, a button extruded, not drawn. It casts a shadow you believe your finger can feel. To paraphrase the classics, a very small designer 'can cast a very large shadow.'

Glassmorphism is a pane of frosted glass held between a user and the world. It's used in modern operating systems like macOS and Windows 11.

Haptics

Haptics are the science of applying touch sensation and control to interaction with digital applications. It's the subtle vibration you get from your device that corresponds to an on-screen action. Apple’s Taptic Engine is the best practice in this, providing nuanced feedback that feels like a precise, mechanical click.

For the toggle switch, haptics have three missions.

1. First, they are a confirmation. They erase doubt for a user. 
2. Second, haptics can very much possess a character, be a part of the product brand. A toggle in a high-performance vehicle's dashboard app might have a metallic-feeling ker-chunk. A toggle in a whimsical children's app could have a bubbly, springy feel. The soft thud of "Dark Mode" is a book closing for the night. The texture of the feedback must match the weight of the choice. The question for the product strategist is not if we should use haptics, but what the haptic signature of our brand is.
3. Third, they improve accessibility and inclusivity. For users with visual impairments, haptic feedback isn't just a delight. It's a necessity. It provides a clear signal of a state change that a purely visual design cannot. By investing in high-fidelity haptics, we are making our products more usable.

Microinteractions

If haptics give the toggle its physical feeling, microinteractions give it a soul. These are the small, contained animations and visual responses that accompany a user's action. A simple toggle can just snap from "on" to "off." But a well designed one has a story to tell in that split second.

As the user drags the toggle, does it stretch and resist, like it’s attached by a spring? When it settles into its new position, does it bounce slightly, signaling the finality of the action? These subtle cues are not decoration. They are a conversation with the user. They communicate the physics of your digital world, making it feel consistent and predictable.

Microinteractions can subtly guide the user. For instance, if a toggle is inactive, a small shake animation upon tapping it can instantly communicate "you can't use this right now" without needing intrusive text. This is a far more elegant solution than a static disabled state alone.

It's also an opportunity to express brand identity. It's not onlyl in your logo (and dreams). It's right there, in these tiny moments of motion. Does your brand feel organic? Its toggle should move like a drop of water, a bubble of mercury shivering to a stop. Is it about precision? The animation must be a clean, mechanical snap. A knife-click. Consider the old Twitter heart. It was a small explosion of joy.

This is the line between a forgettable tool and a memorable experience.

Recommendations for product designers

Questions designers should ask themselves

• In what context will this toggle be used? Is it a data-dense, professional application where clarity is paramount, or a consumer-facing app where brand expression is more critical?
• What is the performance cost of this effect? Have we consulted with engineering to understand the impact on rendering speed, especially on older devices or in a complex UI?
• What feeling we as product experience creators would like to evoke in users? For which purpose?
• What the haptic signature of our brand is?
• Have we tested the contrast ratios of our neumorphic shadows or glassmorphic materials in both light and dark modes?
• How does this component behave when accessibility settings like "Increase Contrast" or "Reduce Transparency" are enabled on the OS level?
• Is there a hierarchy of haptic feedback in our app? Should a critical action's toggle (e.g., "Enable Live Payments") feel more significant than a minor preference toggle (e.g., "Enable Sound Effects")? How do we define and document this?
• What are the exact easing curves and duration for this animation? Have we specified these values for engineers (e.g., "Ease-out, 250ms") to ensure the motion feels intentional and not generic?
• How does this microinteraction fit into our design system's motion language? Is the animation reusable for other state-change components, like checkboxes or radio buttons?

Keep exploring

Give a shot to this article about the Liquid Glass toggle as a window into Apple’s broken design process written by Alex Blake.

Credits

• Liquid Glass Switch made by Voicu Apostol
• 12 Awesome Toggle Switch Designs (With Source Code!) by Madza