What's the smallest product you can make to test your idea?

1 What is an MVP?

An MVP is not a prototype or a beta version of your product. It's not even a fully functional product. It's the simplest version of your product that can show the core benefit of your idea to your potential customers. It's a way to test your assumptions and validate your problem-solution fit before investing more resources into development. An MVP can be anything from a landing page, a video, a mockup, a survey, or a physical model. The key is to focus on the essential features that solve the main problem for your customers.

2 Why is an MVP important?

An MVP is important because it helps you avoid wasting time and money on building something that nobody wants or needs. It allows you to learn from your customers and iterate on your product based on their feedback. It also helps you reduce the risk of failure and increase the chances of success. By testing your idea with an MVP, you can find out if your product has a market fit, if your value proposition is clear and compelling, and if your customers are willing to pay for it.

4 Examples of MVPs

To illustrate how to create an MVP, here are some famous products that began as MVPs. Airbnb, for instance, started with a simple website featuring photos of their apartment and a payment option. After presenting this at a conference in San Francisco, they got their first customers and validated the idea. Dropbox's founder created a video to demonstrate his cloud-based file storage service and posted it on a tech forum. He received thousands of sign-ups and feedback from potential customers, thus validating his idea. Zappos began with a website of shoe photos from local stores; when customers made purchases, the founder would order the shoes for them. This proved that people were willing to buy shoes online without trying them on, thus validating the idea.

5 Tips for creating an MVP

Creating an effective MVP requires keeping a few tips in mind. Firstly, it's important to start by understanding the problem you are solving and the needs of your customers, rather than jumping straight into a solution. Secondly, focus on essential features that deliver the most value and solve the most urgent problem for your customers, as opposed to trying to build a perfect product. Lastly, don't wait too long to launch your MVP and get feedback. Test your assumptions and hypotheses as soon as possible and learn from your results, then iterate on your product based on what you learn in order to improve your product-market fit.

6 What's next?

Creating an MVP is not the end of your product innovation journey. It's the beginning. It's a way to validate your idea and learn from your customers. But it's not enough to just build an MVP and launch it. You need to keep testing, learning, and iterating on your product until you achieve product-market fit and growth. You also need to keep innovating and adapting to changing customer needs and market conditions. An MVP is a tool, not a goal. It's a way to start, not a way to finish.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?