True or False? Switches Are Hard to Use

When it comes to binary selection UI elements, our team had quite a few preconceptions about which one was best for usability: switches (also called toggles), radio buttons, or checkboxes.

Our assumptions were colored by age—both our own ages and what we thought older or younger users would prefer. A few of us accused switches of being newfangled interface elements that would confuse older users (perhaps because we are also older these days). Yet radio buttons seemed like outdated interface elements that are rarely used outside of online surveys. And checkboxes? Aren’t those best for UX dark patterns like sneaking a discreet email signup checkbox onto a form? It was time to test our preconceived notions to see if any of them represented actual user behavior.