Streetlight Effect
Searching where the light is — where data is easy to get — rather than where the answer is; the metrics you have shape the questions you ask.
An everyday example
Optimising the conversion funnel because it is measurable while the real problem is a product nobody wants.
What it can cost you
Solving the measurable problem instead of the important one; being shown the data that is convenient.
Warning signs
- I am analysing what I can measure.
- The important thing has no dashboard.
One thing to do
Write the question first, then ask what data would answer it, then ask what data you actually have; the gap is where the risk lives.
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