Workaround: A CSS snippet can reverse the button’s indicated state: Button to switch view in tab title bar reflects current view.
There isn’t a clear cut UX argument for reversing the button’s state indicator. From what I can tell, this kind of setup is inherently unclear and it is better to use something different altogether. Suggested improvements boil down to separating the state indicator from the button (examples: checkbox, radio button, switch with state names on either side), but that’s not very feasible in the small space available. I don’t know if there’s a feasible improvement to be made other than adding a setting, which strikes me as plugin territory.
Here are some resources about the issue.
- gui design - Should a toggle button show its current state or the state to which it will change? - User Experience Stack Exchange (“Flip-flop buttons: A selection idiom to avoid”)
- Should “toggle buttons” show what they do or the system status? - User Experience Stack Exchange
- Should toggle button show its current state or the state to which it’ll change? (2010) | Hacker News
- Toggle UX: Tips on Getting it Right