In WebSockets: More than tech vanity, I talked about how poketto.me uses WebSockets to keep the UI in sync with async backend processes—like translating, TTS, etc. Neat? Sure. Game-changing? Probably not. Just like I asked about AI in AI is not a value proposition: where would you put that on the Business Model Canvas? It doesn’t really fit as a Value Proposition, does it?
But that doesn’t mean it’s not important. Take Strava, for example.
The fitness app has over 150M users and a $2.2B valuation (as of early 2025). With a backlog full of feature requests, what did new CEO Michael Martin choose to prioritize in 2024?
👉 Dark Mode.
It became an “all hands on deck” project and months of work for the whole company – according to their CTO. Not because it created massive new value—but because it met user expectations in 2025. Users wanted it (it topped their feedback portal), and it felt like something a “modern app” should have.
That’s the essence of the Kano Model: What starts as a delighter (Dark Mode, WebSockets) eventually becomes a baseline. You don’t win users with it, but you risk losing them if it’s missing.
UX polish might not live in your value proposition box—but it is part of the decision-making equation for every user.
Read more:
📎 Wall Street Journal: “Strava’s CEO Has a New Way to Improve Your Workouts”