Should a toggle button show its current state or the state to which it will change?

starman@programming.dev to Programming@programming.dev – 99 points –
Should a toggle button show its current state or the state to which it will change?
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This whole thread is about buttons

Toggle buttons are not normal buttons, they are toggles. Which have the same functionality as check boxes. They are a toggle between 2 states. The only difference is visual.

If they toggle more than 2 states, (like a discrete slider), it is the same as a drop-down menu.

Some widgets are the exact same as others, where the only difference is their visual representation.

Again you're talking about switches. The thread is about normal buttons which have 2 states (the example being given is a button which can be a play button or a pause button depending on the current state). Buttons aren't like check-boxes, switches are. A button triggers an event, check-boxes don't. e.g. on a settings page, you tick all the check-boxes you want first, then click on the Save (or Cancel) changes button - one event for multiple changes. You don't tick a check-box to start playing something, you press a play button (which in this case would then change into a pause button).

In my opinion, any button in terms of graphical UI design simply dispatches an action with no arguments regarding state. There doesn't exist a dichotomy between a "toggle" mechanic and a "standard" button as far as the button itself is concerned.

Whether or not you want to update the visual representation of that button is a separate concern.