Why MVP Design Matters, or How to Create an MVP Your Users Will Love
According to CBInsights, developing interesting solutions instead of focusing on meeting real market needs has become the second leading cause of startup failures.
The most effective antidote to a dizzying startup failure is to gather market feedback by offering users a minimum viable product (MVP).
In this article, we’ll explain why MVP matters, what people often misunderstand about MVP, and how to create an MVP design that will help your newborn product grow into something much bigger.
But first, let’s recall what we know about the MVP concept.
What is an MVP?
The term “MVP” stands for minimum viable product, which helps businesses understand how the market responds to a new idea. It is a somewhat stripped-down version of the product containing only core features.
By introducing an MVP to the market, a company can identify product weaknesses and, on the other hand, uncover previously non-obvious potential that can be turned into a strong value proposition. This term first appeared in 2001 when Frank Robinson, president of SyncDev, introduced it. However, the MVP concept gained popularity ten years later thanks to Eric Ries, the initiator of the Lean Startup movement.
MVP does not mean the “absence” of certain features, but rather the presence of the “minimum” needed to get a working product.
If you ask different business units what they understand by the term “MVP,” you might get completely different yet equally correct answers.
Designers might say: “It’s what users need most.”
Engineers think MVP is “the core functionality that solves customer problems.”
And business owners consider MVP the fastest and cheapest way to collect market feedback.
To be fair, MVP offers undeniable value not only for businesses but also for users. Let’s explore this further.
The Value of MVP: For Businesses and Users
Every business strives to increase profits and reduce costs to remain sustainable. This is where MVP works best. The ultimate goal of an MVP is to evaluate market feedback and decide on the future direction of product development.
Despite the word “minimum” in its definition, it’s important to remember that MVP does not mean a low-quality “raw” version of the product incapable of solving user problems.
Your MVP should be a fully ready product that has only the necessary features to solve the problem you are developing the product for.
Developing a minimum viable product allows businesses to:
- Identify product weaknesses and assess its potential.
- Determine if your idea is needed by the market by gathering opinions from early adopters.
- Reduce development costs by focusing only on essential features.
Okay, that’s clear for businesses. But what about users?
Perhaps surprisingly, most people don’t like feature-rich products.
Our brains can handle a limited number of things before feeling overwhelmed, and that number is seven. Anything more provokes “decision fatigue.”
From this perspective, having a minimal set of features, an MVP allows users to work with your product easily and effortlessly. Thus, you build a loyal base for your product long before its full version launches.
Despite the clarity of the MVP concept, it is still shrouded in some myths that we aim to debunk right away.
Misconceptions About MVP
Myth #1 – MVP is easy to create.
This misconception stems from the apparent simplicity of the final solution. However, for a minimal product to be truly viable, all team members must have an absolutely clear understanding of: a) the product idea and the market need behind it; b) the core features to meet the need and validate the idea. If all team members are not operating like a well-oiled machine, the development process can be very challenging.
Myth #2 – MVP has only one main feature.
While some MVPs do focus on a single core feature, that is more the exception than the rule. Typically, it is a set of features that constitute the product’s core functionality. So it is more accurate to say that an MVP supports only the mandatory features needed to achieve the expected outcome.
And finally, in contrast to the above, Myth #3 states that MVP undermines core functionality, which is not true because the product still does its job with business goals in mind.
So, if MVP means “minimum,” does its design really matter? In short, yes. And let’s explore why.
Why Does MVP UX and UI Design Matter?
A minimum viable product implies limited resources and effort in bringing a pilot version to market. However, this does not mean you should neglect the experience people have while testing your MVP. On the contrary, your ultimate goal is to make the best impression on potential users so they become your first loyal customers after the product launch.
Designing an MVP: Stages and Considerations
Before starting MVP development, ensure you know the answers to the following questions:
- Who are your customers?
- What problems do you want to solve?
- Is your product something your customers need?
- If so, will they be able to use it easily?
- Which features do your customers value most?
- After answering these questions, you can proceed to developing an MVP application.
Validate Product Hypotheses
MVP design plays a crucial role in the early stages of product development when you are testing your initial idea. Design will help you gather real feedback from potential users and understand how to improve the product. For example, Pebble, a smartwatch company, raised 1 billion rubles on Kickstarter by offering an e-paper-based smartwatch design.
Improve MVP Usability
Using analytics tools like Mixpanel, Google Analytics, or Firebase, you can gain insights into how users interact with your app and use that data to enhance its user experience.
Develop New Hypotheses
The hypotheses obtained during testing will form the basis for further redesign decisions aimed at improving product usability.
Create an Appealing User Interface
Although we place more emphasis on UX design, an appealing user interface plays a significant role in how the audience perceives the product overall. Therefore, to ensure a high level of customer service, your MVP should be both user-friendly and attractive.
Conclusion
The idea of a minimum viable product suggests that you shouldn’t spend a lot of time and resources building a full-featured product if you are not sure that your proposed solution is needed by the market. However, do not overlook the UX design stage. Studying your audience and adapting the product to customer needs will help you turn an MVP into a profitable product.