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Should a toggle button show its current state or the state to which it will change?
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this post was submitted on 12 Feb 2024
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I don't know what a great one is but I have an example of a terrible one:
the green/black glue gun has the worst on/off switch I've ever encountered.
You can't see it in the picture, but the actual switch that arrow is pointing to has no text on or around it, so you're left to pick up or down, plug it in, and wait a few minutes see if you were right.
Wow that's terrible design
Typically such a switch would have a ridge on the “on” side to remove that confusion, if they didn’t label it outright. Pity if they neglected that too.
Or a different "feel" when turned on vs. off (more resistance or something). They spent effort printing all that text to show where the switch was when a universal 0/1 would have made it clear.
I can't think of any example of a button or switch that by itself can be clear if it is engaged or not. A button could be assumed to be on if in, but that isn't always the case, like for example with emergency stops.
The power button on my PC lights up when it is on. I have a start/cancel processing button with which I use different colour-schemes - it's a blue or green button/text for "start processing" and a red button/text for "cancel processing" (i.e. danger - this has consequences if you press it!).
I've always wanted a power switch on my hot glue gun but after seeing that, I think I'm now perfectly fine with the existing situation, lest I monkey's paw my way to an even worse implementation.
to be fair, it's a great glue gun, and the newer designs have fixed this issue by adding an indicator light.
Knowing how a switch works in a circuit and how it's typically represented in schematics, I would guess that moving the switch toward the body of the gun should be off.
But if actually placing a bet, I'd put my money on it being the other way.
I carved "On" into mine, it's exactly opposite of what you described.