The On/Off button conundrum

In many settings in Win10, there is a slider. It's a "soft" button which enables you to turn something on or off.

I finally figured out a bit of my confusion. When the button is to the left side of the oval, the word "Off" is displayed on the right hand side of the oval. Obviously, if the button were slid to right, towards "Off", it'd turn off whatever setting to which it is linked.

Umm...no.

It's telling me that it's off.

Okay, button away from "Off" means it's Off.

If I slide the button towards "Off" (you know, as if I'm choosing "Off"), then it turns it "On"!

The button on the right of the oval makes the "Off" on the right change to "On".

This is not a great design.

If the button is towards something, that is what is selected, at least in common usage. My light switch works that way, as does my faucet, my car ignition, my garage door opener, and every other piece of software I use.

C'mon...

Ken

Hi

The on/off sliders change colour depending on their state. If theyre just black then theyre off , so if coloured then on.

At least its a horizontal switch vertical light switches are up for ON in the USA but are up for OFF in the UK and that would be just as confusing.

The other indicator is that it is a bright blue when ON and grey when OFF.

Yeah, I finally sussed that out. But...the design is poor. It should have "on" on the RIGHT, since, if the button is on the right, then it is ON.

It's a head scratcher, but someone probably thought it was avant garde...and there was much finger snapping in the conference room when it was first shown.

Button right, it's on. Therefore put the word "on" on the right.

I'll have to start using a sharpie...

Please give an example of a horizontal button where the dot to the right is "Off".

Please give an example of a horizontal button where the dot to the right is "Off".

No...the DOT is to the left, but on the right is the word "OFF". So, the dot is away from "off". Therefore, if I slide the dot towards "off", it'll turn that item off. But that's not how it works. The dot to the left with "OFF" to the right means it's off.

This is non-intuitive.

You could look at it as showing the "status" of the switch. If it shows "OFF" then it is off.

No...the DOT is to the left, but on the right is the word "OFF". So, the dot is away from "off". Therefore, if I slide the dot towards "off", it'll turn that item off. But that's not how it works. The dot to the left with "OFF" to the right means it's off.

This is non-intuitive.

It's a status indicator.....

The above is deserving, truly:

At least its a horizontal switch vertical light switches are up for ON in the USA but are up for OFF in the UK and that would be just as confusing.

The other indicator is that it is a bright blue when ON and grey when OFF.

Yeah, I finally sussed that out. But...the design is poor. It should have "on" on the RIGHT, since, if the button is on the right, then it is ON.

And if you installed English (UK) language of Windows 10 would the "on" have to be on the left, and the button be to the left to be "on" since in the UK they also put the steering wheels on the wrongside of the cars and drive on the wrongside of the road?

And if you installed English (UK) language of Windows 10 would the "on" have to be on the left, and the button be to the left to be "on" since in the UK they also put the steering wheels on the wrongside of the cars and drive on the wrongside of the road?

Exactly. I'm going to sit on the loo and think about this some more. If the OP doesn't like these "switches", then he better not ever use an iPhone/iPad.