Every growth person who has reviewed Vesper has, at some point, asked the same question. “Have you tried streaks?” We have not, and we will not, and this post is the long answer.
The case for streaks
Streaks work. There's no debate. Build a number that increments when the user shows up and resets when they don't, and a subset of users will reorganise their day to protect it. Day-7 retention goes up. Session frequency goes up. The engagement chart looks like an excellent investment.
The case against
The reason streaks work is the same reason we don't want them: they convert presence into obligation. Opening the app stops being something you do because you want to talk to someone, and starts being something you do because the number says you have to. The user comes back, but the reason they come back has rotted.
We want you to open Vesper when you actually want to talk to someone — and not open it when you don't.
What we do instead
Nothing, mostly. No streaks. No “your friend just posted!” pings. No daily check-in widget. The app should reward you for closing it, and the strongest signal of that is having no growth machinery designed to drag you back in.
Our retention is worse than it would be with streaks. The conversations are better. That trade is the entire product.