MVP First Approach: A Guide for Product Designers

Hello there! I'm Anais Gracia, a seasoned product designer with over a decade of experience sharpening my skills and crafting digital experiences that make a difference. My journey in design has been anything but linear - spanning across various industries including energy, healthcare, social impact, networking, SaaS, politics, and high-tech manufacturing platforms. I've played many roles over the years; from being a junior designer to a principal designer and even a head of product, each has given me a unique perspective and in-depth understanding of product design and development.

In addition, I've co-founded two products and a small agency, each teaching me different aspects of the product lifecycle, business strategy, and user experience. These diverse experiences have taught me one paramount lesson: the importance of starting simple, focusing on the essentials, and building with a data-driven approach.

This brings me to a concept that has significantly shaped my work philosophy - the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) first approach.

I've found this method to be incredibly crucial, not just for budding startups but also for larger, more established organizations.

For smaller startups, creating an MVP forces them into an invaluable exercise - to laser-focus on their product's core vision and trim away any extraneous features that often stem from overthinking or lack of clear data.

For larger organizations, the MVP first approach serves a different but equally important purpose. It guides them to begin with the most basic, essential version of a new feature, allowing them to build a solid foundation first and polish it further as they go. This method ensures that companies construct their features with user data at the forefront, thereby reducing the risk of overcomplication and enhancing the feature's overall effectiveness.

In this article, I will delve deeper into the MVP first approach, its benefits, its evolution to a Minimum Marketable Product (MMP), and its real-world applications. I believe that understanding and employing this approach can radically improve your product design process and help you create solutions that truly resonate with your audience. So, let's dive in!

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Understanding Key Concepts

Alright, before we dive deeper into our topic, let's take a moment to familiarize ourselves with some key terms: POC, MVP, and MMP. These acronyms may sound a bit like tech jargon, but they're actually super important concepts in the world of product design. Let's break them down one by one.

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POC: Proof of Concept

Let's first talk about "POC" or "Proof of Concept". This one's a little different than MVP. A POC is a small project or a prototype used to verify if a certain idea can be developed in the real world. It's not necessarily about creating a product that's ready for users.

Instead, it's about proving that your idea is technically feasible. It's like a test run for your concept, a reality check of sorts.

So, to put them side by side, while both MVP and POC serve as initial steps in the product development journey, their purposes differ. An MVP is about validating your product idea in the market, getting early user feedback, and learning what works and what doesn't.

A POC, which is a step below, on the other hand, is about testing whether the idea can be realized technically and practically before it even hits the market.

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POC (general) steps

Identify and Define the Problem: The first step to creating a Proof of Concept (POC) is to clearly identify the problem you're trying to solve. You need to have a thorough understanding of the issue at hand, its impact, and the potential benefits of a successful solution.

Develop the POC Solution: Based on the problem definition, create a simplified solution that demonstrates how the problem can be solved. This is typically a smaller part of the potential final product but should be able to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept effectively. This step often involves designing, coding, and configuring the proposed solution in a way that can clearly demonstrate its functionality and effectiveness.

Evaluate and Present: After creating the POC, it's time to evaluate its performance and feasibility. This evaluation should take into account various aspects, such as technical feasibility, practical implementation, and potential business value. Once evaluated, the POC should be presented to the relevant stakeholders, showing how it solves the identified problem and outlining its potential to be developed into a full-scale product.

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MVP: Minimum Viable Product

When you hear the term "MVP" or "Minimum Viable Product", think about the most basic version of your product that can still solve the problem it's designed to address. The idea here is to create something that, while simple, effectively demonstrates the product’s core functionality.

It's like a sneak peek of your product that gives your users a taste of what's to come, while also providing you with valuable feedback for future development.

MVP (general) steps

Identify the Core Value Proposition: Start by understanding the primary problem your product is aiming to solve for its target users. The main purpose of an MVP is to deliver this core value, so defining it clearly is essential. Create a hypothesis about what the users need and what functionality will deliver that value.

Develop the MVP: With a clear understanding of the core value proposition, develop your MVP, keeping it as simple and straightforward as possible. The goal here is not to deliver a feature-packed product, but a functional one that effectively delivers on its core promise. Use a lean development approach to build this simplified version of your product.

Launch, Test, and Learn: After developing the MVP, launch it to a small segment of your target audience. Gather as much feedback as possible, and pay attention to how users interact with your product. This feedback is vital to understand what works, what doesn't, and how your product can be improved. Use the insights to iterate on the product, enhancing the MVP to better meet the needs of the users.

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MMP: Minimum Marketable Product

Finally, let's tackle "MMP" or "Minimum Marketable Product", sometimes also called a MLP "Minimum Lovable Product".

This is the version of your product that not only solves the problem it's designed to address (just like the MVP) but does so with enough polish and refinement that customers are willing to pay for it.

An MMP adds a layer of market-readiness to your MVP. It's not about having all the bells and whistles; instead, it's about creating a product that offers real, tangible value to your customers.

In the grand scheme of product evolution, you'd typically start with a POC to test the technical feasibility of your idea. Once that's confirmed, you'd build an MVP to test the idea in the market and gather user feedback. This feedback then informs the development of your MMP, which is the version of your product that you're ready to launch to the public and start selling.

MMP (general) steps

Analyze MVP Feedback and Usage Data: After your MVP launch, carefully review all the feedback and usage data collected. This includes understanding what features are being used, what's not being used, which aspects users love, and where users struggle. These insights will guide the direction of your MMP.

Define and Prioritize Additional Features: Based on the MVP analysis, determine what additional features or improvements need to be incorporated into your MMP. Prioritize them based on factors such as user demand, business goals, and resource availability. The aim is to develop an enhanced version of your MVP that retains its core functionality but also includes significant improvements and new features that increase its marketability.

Develop, Test, and Launch MMP: Incorporate the prioritized features and improvements into the product, and then conduct thorough testing to ensure everything works as expected. Once you're satisfied with the updated product, launch your MMP to the broader market. Remember, the MMP should still be relatively lean but has enough features to satisfy early customers and gain a competitive advantage in the market.

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The Importance of MVP First Approach

In my years of experience, I've worked with both fledgling startups and well-established companies, and let me tell you, the MVP first approach is a game-changer for both. Its advantages, from cost-efficiency to risk mitigation, are universal regardless of the size of the organization.

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Small Startups

In the startup world, where every penny counts, cost-efficiency is critical. Building an MVP aligns perfectly with this need. Here's why:

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Budget-Friendly: When you concentrate your efforts on one core feature without embellishments, you save money. Instead of spreading your scarce resources thin, you can focus on what matters most.

Clarity of Vision: This approach is an excellent exercise for startups. It helps you zero in on your product's main vision, cutting out all the noise and unnecessary sub-features. The result? A well-defined product with a clear mission.

Discipline and Focus: Startups, especially unexperienced ones, can easily get side-tracked and add or modify their product or features due to the stress of venturing into the unknown. The MVP approach forces discipline and focus, eliminating constant shifts that can hinder progress.

Data-Driven Development: A stripped-down MVP eliminates the risk of developing features based on emotional reasons, which can often lead to poor decision-making. Instead, you create a product whose evolution is driven by user feedback and real data.

User Experience: An overblown product can damage the user experience. With an MVP, users interact with a streamlined, easy-to-understand product that meets their core needs. And if they love it, they'll stick around for the upgrades.

Avoiding Waste: If your product is bloated with unnecessary features, users may only interact with a fraction of it, rendering the rest wasted effort. With an MVP, every feature counts.

Simplifying Future Changes: Scaling down an overblown product can be a nightmare, requiring you to undo a complex architecture, reconfigure user experiences, and remove unnecessary components. Starting with an MVP makes future modifications much simpler and reduces design and tech debt.

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Established Companies

For larger, well-established companies, the MVP approach still offers significant benefits:

• Economic Efficiency: All the cost-saving benefits mentioned for startups apply here too, albeit on a larger scale. Money saved on unnecessary features can be redirected to other important areas.
• Reduced Decision Paralysis: When you're part of a large organization, every feature can become a hot topic of debate. Focusing on an MVP helps cut through the noise and concentrate on what truly matters, reducing endless deliberations.
• Mitigating Risk: Bigger companies mean bigger commitments. Starting with an MVP helps mitigate the risk of heavy commitments on features that might not resonate with users. It ensures you're building on solid, tested ground.

To sum up, the MVP first approach is beneficial regardless of your company's size or the stage it's in. It's a practical, data-driven method that saves money, reduces risk, and, most importantly, puts your users' needs at the heart of your product. And, in my book, that's a winning strategy.

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Real-Life Examples

The power of the MVP first approach becomes clear when you look at successful products that began as MVPs. Some of today's tech giants started small, iterating and growing based on user feedback and data. Here are a few of these success stories:

Airbnb

The idea behind Airbnb began when the founders rented out air mattresses in their living room to visitors who couldn't find hotel rooms. They built a basic website showcasing their offering, and thus, the MVP for Airbnb was born. Feedback from early users and continuous iteration helped shape Airbnb into the global home-sharing platform it is today.

Dropbox

Dropbox's initial MVP was a simple video demonstrating the concept of seamless file synchronization. They didn't even build the technology first. This video attracted a massive waitlist of potential users and proved the demand for their idea before they invested heavily in developing it.

Here is a great article on Investopedia showing more of these MVP Stories.

‍Personal Examples

On a more personal level, I had the opportunity to utilize the MVP first approach in one of my product development processes. During my time at a startup, we had a feature called "Milestones" that was complex and underused. The idea was to enable users to create tasks and share them with various team members, but it ended up being over-complicated and neglected.

After analyzing how users struggled with "Milestones," we decided to transform it into a simplified and more useful feature named "Action Plans." I performed a comparative analysis with other similar products like Asana and used those insights to create a simple, user-friendly version of what we wanted to accomplish.

I paid particular attention to interaction design and tested it with real users. The MVP approach allowed me to maximize simplicity and focus on what mattered most to users: planning and tracking tasks.

The response was outstanding.

To this day, "Action Plans" is considered the most user-friendly and easy-to-use feature in our app, backed by impressive user metrics.

This transformation from an underused feature to a widely loved one stands as testament to the power of the MVP first approach. It shows that by focusing on the core user needs and continuously iterating based on feedback, we can create products that truly resonate with users.

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From MVP to MMP: The Evolution

The journey from MVP (Minimum Viable Product) to MMP (Minimum Marketable Product) is a critical phase in the product lifecycle.

It's during this stage that your MVP, which has been validated and accepted by early users, begins to evolve into a more complete product that appeals to a wider market.

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The Process and Timeline

The process starts with the successful validation of your MVP. Once you've gathered valuable feedback from your early users and have refined your MVP to a state that effectively solves the primary problem it was designed to address, you're ready to start the transition.

This evolution involves expanding on your MVP by adding valuable features based on user feedback and data insights. Each additional feature must provide significant value to your users and align with your product vision. It's crucial to remember that an MMP is not about adding as many features as possible, but about enhancing your product to deliver greater value.

As for the timeline, it varies significantly depending on the complexity of your product, the nature of user feedback, and your team's capacity. The important thing is not to rush it. It’s better to take the time needed to create an MMP that truly resonates with your target audience.

Crucial Factors to Consider

Several key factors should be considered during the evolution from MVP to MMP:

1. User Feedback: This is the backbone of your evolution process. Each additional feature or refinement should be guided by what your users say they want and need.
2. Data Analysis: User behavior data can give you insights into how your product is used, which features are loved, and which ones are neglected. This can guide your decision-making process.
3. Market Trends: Stay updated on current market trends and how they might impact your product's evolution.
4. Scalability: As you add new features, make sure your product maintains its performance and can handle an increasing number of users.
5. Usability: Even as your product becomes more complex, it should remain user-friendly.

Personal Example and Tips

Drawing from my personal experience with the "Action Plans" feature, the evolution from MVP to MMP was guided by user feedback, data analysis, and iterative design. Each new feature added to "Action Plans" was carefully chosen based on user feedback and data insights, ensuring that each enhancement was valuable to the users and aligned with our vision.

One tip I have found useful in this process is to maintain a balance between user demands and product vision. While user feedback is invaluable, not all requests should be accommodated if they don’t align with the product’s goals or vision. Learning to discern and navigate this balance is a critical skill in transitioning from an MVP to an MMP.

Remember, the MVP to MMP journey is not about rushing to pack your product with features. It's about deepening the relationship with your users, understanding their needs, and delivering more value over time. Each product has its own journey, so trust the process and enjoy the ride.

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Scaling the Product: Strategies and Directions

Once your product has evolved from an MVP to an MMP, the next step is to scale. Scaling is the process of growing and expanding your product in a sustainable way. It involves taking what works well and amplifying it to reach more users, more markets, or to offer more value. Here are some strategies to consider:

Feature Expansion

One way to scale is through feature expansion, which means adding new functionalities that your users will find beneficial. While doing this, it's important to ensure that these new features align with your product's core value proposition and are in line with user feedback and needs.

Remember, every feature added should solve a problem for your users and improve their experience with your product.

Market Expansion

Scaling also often involves market expansion. This could mean reaching out to new user segments, entering new geographic markets, or targeting different industries. When considering market expansion, it's important to conduct thorough market research to understand the needs and preferences of these new potential users.

Importance of User Research

User research is fundamental in finding the right direction for scaling. This iterative process involves constantly learning about your users and their needs, behaviors, and experiences. It helps you ensure that your product remains user-centric as it grows and expands.

Whether you're considering feature, market, or platform expansion, your decisions should be informed by solid user research. This will help you avoid assumptions and make data-driven decisions.

Personal Insights and Strategies

In my own journey with "Action Plans," the scaling phase involved a combination of feature and market expansion. Based on user feedback and usage data, we identified new functionalities that would improve user experience and drive more engagement.

The key to successful scaling is to always keep your users at the forefront. Regular user research, testing, and feedback collection are vital to ensure you're meeting their needs and expectations. As you scale, it's equally important to maintain the product's usability and performance. Remember, scaling is not just about growing bigger; it's about growing better. You're not just increasing your user base; you're amplifying the value your product provides to its users.

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My Signature Approach: Why MVP First

Over my 12 years of experience in the product design industry, I've worked with a variety of teams and products, spanning numerous industries. And throughout this journey, the MVP first approach has consistently been my go-to strategy in product design. Here's why.

Firstly, the MVP first approach aligns perfectly with my belief in lean, efficient, and data-driven design. When you're starting with a minimum viable product, you're essentially cutting away all the noise and focusing on the most fundamental functionality that delivers value to the users. You're not spending resources on building features based on assumptions or speculations. Instead, you're creating a solid base on which you can iterate and improve, based on real, hard data from users. This strategy promotes a culture of validation and continuous learning which is invaluable in the unpredictable landscape of product design.

Secondly, the MVP first approach allows for maximum learning with minimum investment. In my journey as a product founder, this approach has been instrumental in successfully launching new products in the market. It allowed me to introduce a workable product to the market quickly, gather user feedback, and make informed decisions for the next stages of product development. This saved not only money but also time - a crucial resource in the startup world.

Remember the story of "Action Plans"? It was an MVP that hit the market quickly, collected valuable user feedback, and evolved into a well-received and heavily used feature. We didn't spend a lot of resources on superfluous features in the beginning, but built a simple, workable MVP, gathered data, and then iterated on it. This approach significantly reduced risks, fostered a better understanding of user needs, and eventually led to a successful product.

Lastly, the MVP first approach aligns perfectly with the ethos of user-centered design. It's a humbling process - you start small, you put your product out there, and you let the users guide its growth and evolution. It puts users at the heart of product development, and this, I believe, is the secret to building products that truly resonate with people.

In conclusion, the MVP first approach has been my trusted ally in the challenging yet exciting journey of product design. It has offered a clear path in the complex world of product development, minimizing risks, maximizing learning, and always keeping the user at the center of everything. And that's why it's my signature approach.

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Conclusion

Throughout this article, we've taken a deep dive into the MVP-first approach, exploring its various facets and understanding its importance in today's product development scenario. We've talked about the different stages of a product's lifecycle, from MVP to MMP, and how an MVP-first approach is instrumental in cost-efficiency, fast feedback loops, risk mitigation, and more.

We've looked at real-life examples of how some of the biggest names in tech, like Airbnb and Uber, and even my own experiences, leveraged the MVP-first approach to turn simple ideas into successful products. We’ve also delved into the strategies and considerations when scaling a product, and the critical role of user research in directing these efforts.

While the MVP-first approach sounds fantastic on paper and may seem like a no-brainer, it's often a significant challenge to convince stakeholders to apply it in practice. The lure of "cool" add-ons and enhancements can be strong, and it's common for founders, product owners, and product managers to want to include them in the initial release. But it's crucial to remember that an MVP is about stripping the product down to its core, delivering the most fundamental value to the users, and then learning and iterating from there.

We must constantly remind ourselves of this golden rule of product development.

Moreover, the MVP-first approach inherently promotes a user-centric culture. It's a clear endorsement for the indispensability of user research. If you're a product designer, advocating for this approach also means advocating for the voice of your users, and having data to back your design decisions.

As we conclude, I encourage you, whether you're a seasoned product designer or a novice, to consider the MVP-first approach in your product design and development efforts. It might not always be easy to implement, but the benefits it yields in the form of learning, efficiency, and risk reduction are undeniable.

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Stay tuned for my next article where we'll delve into the art of advocating for the MVP-first approach within your team or organization, as effective communication is often the key to bringing such effective strategies to life.

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