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What is MVP and Why it is Important in Creating Mobile Apps and Startups

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Volodymyr Fedoryshyn
What is MVP and Why it is Important in Creating Mobile Apps and Startups

MVP (minimum viable product) is the simplest working prototype of a product that tests demand before full-scale development. Such an approach insures the business owner from the lack of demand for the final product and the loss of resources spent on the development.

As a rule, MVP has only one function that solves a specific consumer problem. This is such a version of a future project that allows you to collect maximum practical data on how customers interact with it at minimal cost.

In order to succeed with minimal risks and costs under the conditions where 92% of launched startups close, each project should be started with the launch of a minimally viable product.

Tasks That MVP Solves

Minimum Viable Product is created not for technologies testing, but to check in practice whether users need such a product, or whether the hypotheses underlying the business model are true. The main goal of MVP is to minimize the time and effort spent testing the market reaction to the idea.

MVP allows you to attract real users to the project as guides that will help you adjust the future product business model and basic characteristics, outline development directions and plan the roadmap for updates. Positive results at the MVP stage give green light for the development of the product’s full version.

It is worth remembering that: it’s not the lack of money that underlies MVP, it is rationality. This approach allows you to test a business hypothesis that affects the number of users, their engagement or profit. Therefore, you need to perceive it not as the consequences of a lack of budget for a “normal” product, but as a way to quickly check what the market really needs and save money.

Thus, a minimally viable product allows you to solve the following tasks:

  • confirm the idea’s viability and test the product hypotheses using real data;
  • reduce large financial losses risks in case of the product launch failure;
  • reduce development costs by prioritizing important functions and identifying non-demanded ones;
  • speed up the errors search and internal product testing;
  • build a user base before full launch;
  • occupy a market niche and attract investors earlier than business competitors.

During the MVP development process, it is crucial to use one of the iterative development approaches. Lean, Scrum, Kanban, extreme programming - all of them allow you to establish a regular release of updates, improve the product "on the go" as feedback is received.

Tips to Note

Now that you understand what MVP is and why you need it, here are a few tips that you will find useful in the process of such work.

1. You must remember that in a minimum viable product, there is always tested only one theory which satisfies a want of the future consumer.

Therefore, you need to highlight one key advantage in the product, which will meet the needs, and which You will try to “sell”.

2. You must draw up a clear plan of what needs to be finalized in the product if it shows positive results after testing.

That is, what features you have to refine, and what additional features you need to introduce into the product. In addition, you should have an understanding of their priority when creating the product.

3. To think over the tools that you will use to create and test your product’s prototype.
It goes without saying, MVP = minimalism. And this means that a minimum amount of money and time must be required both for creating the prototype itself and for testing it.

4. Determine the testing criteria, after studying which You will be able to clearly answer the question: “Is it worth continuing to work on the product?”.

To make it possible, you must have clear criteria of success, based on which you can decide whether to continue or wind down the work and go look for another idea.

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Volodymyr Fedoryshyn
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