Types of MVP

The topic of Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is an important one for any person involved with product development, even more important if, like me, you are involved in workshops – like the Lean Inception -- to help people align and decide about it.

?

I an often asked about the types of MVP , so I decided to update the content of a blog post, which I wrote back in March 2016. Understanding and choosing the types of MVP can speed up the learning cycle and lead to effective product refinement. The MVP is not just a preliminary launch, but a test and learn strategy, essential for any project seeking continuous success and innovation.

Fake Door MVP

A Fake Door MVP is a link that simulates a new feature or product to gauge user interest before actually developing it.

Example: An e-commerce website adds a “One-Click Purchase” button, but when clicked, a message informs that the product is “sold out” and asks for an email for notification.

Pros:

• Low cost and quick to implement.
• Measures user interest without having to develop the product.
• Can help gather contact information for future launches

Cons:

• May frustrate users if they realize the feature doesn’t exist.
• Does not provide feedback on the actual functionality of the product.

AB Test MVP

In an AB Test MVP, you conduct comparative tests between two versions of a feature or product to identify which one elicits a better response from the audience.

Example: An e-commerce platform tests two versions of a product page, one with lots of technical details and another focused on user reviews, to see which generates more sales.

Pros:

• Provides direct insights into user preferences.
• Can improve conversion rates and the user experience.
• Aids in making data-driven decisions.

Cons:

• Requires a large user base to be meaningful.
• May take longer to achieve reliable results.

Landing Page MVP

In a Landing Page MVP, a single web page is created to describe the value proposition of a product and gauge public interest through sign-ups or pre-registrations.

Example: An entrepreneur creates a landing page to test her idea for a fitness app and measures how many visitors sign up for the “launch” (even though development has not even started, only announced).

Pros:

• Provides direct insights into user preferences.
• Can improve conversion rates and the user experience.
• Aids in making data-driven decisions.

Cons:

• Requires a sufficient user base to be meaningful.
• May take longer to achieve reliable results.

Explainer Video MVP

An Explainer Video MVP is used to present the concept of the product to potential users and gauge interest through an explanatory video.

Example: Before building Dropbox, one of the founders recorded and released an explanatory video on how the product would work and requested emails from those interested in the product (and received many!).

Pros:

• Can go viral and reach a broad audience quickly.
• Explains the product concept in a clear and engaging way.
• Creates anticipation and expectation before the launch.

Cons:

• May be expensive and time-consuming to produce a high-quality video.
• Does not provide feedback on the real user experience with the product.

Email Campaign MVP

An email campaign is sent out to a selected list of contacts to validate interest in a product or service.

Example: I sent an email to my newsletter subscribers with a proposal for a new training program and measured how many people clicked to learn more.

Pros:

• Direct access to an already interested audience.
• Low cost and can be highly targeted.
• Facilitates measuring interest through click rates.

Cons:

• May have low open and click rates.
• Difficult to scale without a large and engaged email list.

Single Feature MVP

A Single Feature MVP focuses on developing and refining just one main feature that solves a specific user problem.

Example: A note-taking app launches with only one main feature, real-time synchronization, before adding other functionalities.

Pros:

• Focuses on delivering immediate value to the user.
• Allows perfection of a single functionality until it’s flawless.
• Reduces development complexity.

Cons:

• May not represent the full concept of the product.
• Users may not fully understand the complete vision with just one functionality.

Thin Slice MVP

A Thin Slice MVP involves building a very simple version of the product that goes through all layers of the process or system. Instead of focusing on a single functionality like the Single Feature MVP, Thin Slice MVP aims to deliver a complete end-to-end workflow but does so in a more simplified manner.

Example: An e-commerce website starts with a Thin Slice MVP, offering a single product, a product detail page, a simple checkout process, and an order confirmation. Even without advanced features such as product listings, product categories, product recommendations, customer reviews, or integrations with logistics systems, customers can still complete a purchase from start to finish, allowing the company to validate the buying process and market demand.

Pros:

• Delivers a complete user experience, albeit simplified.
• Validates every part of the end-to-end process.
• Offers real value to the user from the beginning.

Cons:

• May require more effort than other types of MVPs to implement.
• Excessive simplification may not capture the essence of the full idea.

Presale MVP

A Presale MVP offers the product for sale before it is available, with the goal of validating demand.

Example: A gaming studio opens pre-sales for a new video game and uses the numbers to adjust production and marketing.

Pros:

• Generates early revenue and validates product demand.
• Can finance the product’s development.
• Builds a user base before launch.

Cons:

• Requires a product or concept attractive enough to convince users to pay in advance.
• Can create expectations that, if unmet, will result in customer dissatisfaction.

Concierge MVP

In the Concierge MVP, the service is offered and operated manually to simulate the final product experience and validate the business idea.

Example: A company planning to launch an investment advisory service offers personalized consultations before developing an automated platform.

Pros:

• Tests the value proposition without full product development.
• Allows for detailed and personal user feedback.
• Can be highly customized for the user.

Cons:

• Not scalable; requires a lot of manual effort.
• It may be difficult to replicate the quality of service when automated.

Wizard of Oz MVP

The Wizard of Oz MVP creates the illusion of a fully functional product or service, but operations are manually carried out behind the scenes.

Example: A startup launches an cooking app that recommends a recipe given a list of ingredients. It tests the idea with a person receiving the order and manually searching for recipes online and sending them by email.

Pros:

• Creates the full user experience without the need for an automated product.
• Allows testing and refining the idea before investing in technology.
• Can validate solutions to complex problems with a simplified interface.

Cons:

• Highly dependent on manual work behind the scenes.
• May be unsustainable in the long run and difficult to scale.
• Users may feel deceived if they discover the service is manual.

This text is part of a more comprehensive article on MVP. Interested in MVP? Then check out how to align people and decide where to start (MVP!) with Lean Inception trainingLean Inception book.

?