However, Pollard reminds users that “a score of 100 doesn’t mean perfect; it just means Lighthouse can’t help anymore.”
Goodhart’s Law & Web Performance
Pollard referenced Goodhart’s Law, which says that when a measure becomes a goal, it stops being a good measure.
In the web performance context, focusing only on improving Lighthouse scores may not improve actual user experience.
Lighthouse is a helpful tool, but it can only assess certain aspects of performance in specific situations.
Alon Kochba, Web Performance and Software Engineer at Wix, added context to the update, stating:
“Lighthouse scores may not be the most important – but this is a big deal for Lighthouse scores in PageSpeed Insights.
4x -> 1.2x CPU throttling for Mobile device simulation, which was way off for quite a while.”
Lighthouse scores may not be the most important – but this is a big deal for Lighthouse scores in PageSpeed Insights.
4x -> 1.2x CPU throttling for Mobile device simulation, which was way off for quite a while. https://t.co/ZLrwsDQGmO
— Alon Kochba (@alonkochba) December 6, 2024
Key Takeaway: Prioritize User Experience
As the update rolls out, website owners and developers should focus on user experience using field data for Core Web Vitals.
While Lighthouse scores can help find areas for improvement, they shouldn’t be the only goal.
Google encourages creating websites that load quickly, respond well, and are visually stable.
Featured Image: GoodStudio/Shutterstock