MVP development

An idea’s journey from light bulb to product launch is long, exciting, and chock full of pitfalls. Minimum viable products (MVPs) are the best way to ensure smooth sailing — but even MVP development has best practices to be followed and traps to avoid.

MVPs validate great ideas into market-great ideas

Roughly speaking, ideas are validated in three major “tests” before turning into a successful product.

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01

Proof-of-concept (POC): the theory of why and how the idea is a good one

02

Prototype: the barebones design to prove that the idea works in real life.

03

Minimum viable product (MVP): the simplest possible iteration of the idea as a sellable product.

The different types of MVP development for startups

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In short, a properly executed software MVP sets a startup to:

  1. Test if their business assumptions hold water
  2. Gather user feedback to fix initial issues
  3. Rapid-test iterations for a faster launch
  4. Conserve valuable time and money
However, even MVPs can serve different purposes. For instance, a MVP designed to gauge whether clients are willing to pay for a solution will be built differently from one created to verify how scalable the idea can be. Even though the MVPs intend to explore the idea’s profitability in both cases, the ways in which they do so are distinct.

Low-fidelity

Low-fidelity MVPs are the go-to choice for startups looking to test their ideas without investing significant resources upfront. These MVPs are as bare bones as possible, and include subtypes such as:

  • Landing page MVP – A single web page that describes the startup’s product or service without actually building the product. This allows startups to gauge user interest and gather email sign-ups to validate the demand for their concept with user data
  • Flintstone MVP – As with the cartoon of the same name, this approach uses manual processes to simulate the product’s intended automated functionalities. Startups can test the market with a makeshift, but hands-on solution to understand whether their idea resonates with potential users, identifying pain points and user preferences along the way.
  • Concierge MVP – A highly personalized experience to a small group of early users. Usually, team members or even the founders act as concierges to deliver the core service manually, learning directly from customer interactions and making real-time adjustments in a controlled environment.