Dmitriy N. Full-Stack Developer

What is MVP and why do we need it?

We often talk about MVP (minimum viable product) when it comes to development. Many people know that it is a minimum viable product. But we decided to expand on this notion and explain in detail the meaning of MVP in the process of creating new products.

Minimum viable product and eclairs

Let's imagine you have an idea - an app with a full set of features and options, available on all platforms, able to serve millions of users worldwide. Great!

Now let's move the conversation to a more down-to-earth level and pretend that your app idea is an eclair. But not just any cake, but an extra dachshund-shaped eclair, topped with alpine butter cream, whipped cream and a sprinkle of three kinds of chocolate. It's delicious, appealing, and very complex. And it's also unclear whether people need it.

This is where the MVP comes in handy, to test ideas. The very first version of your app should be more like a simple eclair - one that people know, love, and want to try from a new vendor. The MVP of the app should include only basic features. When the software product is ready, users can be introduced to it. Such a solution will be relatively cheap and quick to develop.

How an MVP can help

Choose the technology

The form of the MVP and the final product depends on the development technology. It can be native or cross-platform solutions. In any case you should consult the developers with whom you decided to cooperate. They will give you information about deadlines, costs, the size of the team, and possibly suggest new solutions. For example, instead of building a mobile app, you might start with a PWA (progressive web app) and gather feedback from first users before spending resources on the actual product.

Collect feedback on the app

With a live app, you can continue development based on facts, not assumptions. Real users will test the product and give feedback, telling you what they didn't like and what needs to be added.

Through feedback, you'll know how your "regular eclair" is doing and get more information on how it can be improved. If no one is asking for an original dachshund shape, it may not make sense to invest in developing one yet.

Decide on scaling

The MVP approach gives a good idea of future product development needs. You can keep adding cream and sprinkling to the eclair. But what if the product becomes so popular that people want it everywhere, not just in one pastry shop? Then it would be more relevant to think about scaling.

A mobile app will have limitations on the number of users it can serve without clogging up the server. It also has geographic limitations - the language or countries in which it is available. With the app's usage data, you can now prioritize what to do next: improve the recipe or open new pastry shops.

Five reasons to invest in MVP

Reason 1. A minimally viable product becomes a simplification of a larger project and lets you know what users want. Market needs and features critical to the success of the product become apparent. This is an ideal way to test assumptions and get a clear idea of the path the project should take.

Reason 2. It's easier for startups to get investment with an MVP because there is a direct presentation of a working mobile app. This demonstrates the seriousness of the intent and strengthens the position.

Reason 3. MVP provides an opportunity to learn how UX and UI components contribute to the usability and intuitiveness of a mobile app.

Reason 4. MVP is also a great strategy for testing monetization ideas. Hypotheses for making money are better tested with MVPs and determine which one will generate the most revenue.

Reason 5. You can get to market faster with MVPs and still have plenty of room for change.

Conclusion

A minimum viable product provides an opportunity to get better: you can make significant changes to business processes based on real user experience. You can put off developing less important features and spend money on urgent tasks.

Suppose your eclair has a serious flaw, such as poor flour quality. In that case, it would be more important to fix it than to add new features and complicate things even more.

MVP is a promising way to implement ideas based on user needs and owner requirements.