Before the launch of the Challenger space shuttle, engineers at NASA were concerned about the O-ring seals in the rocket boosters. These little tiny rubber bands were supposed to keep the shuttle safe. Because it was really cold outside, these rubber bands didn’t stretch like they were expected to and the Challenger broke apart just after it took off.
Decisions makers relied heavily on statistical data. The data didn't account for the unique conditions on the day of the launch, including the unusually cold weather.
Data without context took center stage and influenced the decision to launch.
Facts and figures often take center stage. It doesn't always lead to disasters, but they often mislead.
Metrics like user engagement rates, conversion percentages and bounce rates provide a clear, data-driven picture of how a product is performing. Quantitative data might reveal what is happening, but it often fails to explain why.
Without qualitative insights like user feedback and usability testing, you risk optimising for the wrong things.
Overemphasizing data without context can lead to decisions that look good on paper, but fail in real life.
If your data is showing you don't have users with disabilities and that leads you to ignore accessibility in your product, you've just killed any chance you might have users with disabilities. Relying solely on the statistics you can easily see can lead to a narrow perspective.
Chicken and egg problem.
Do you have an inaccessible website because you have no users with disabilities?
Or do you not have users with disabilities because your website inaccessible?