A comprehensive guide to build your MVP: From definition to product development

By Lenka Davis

For startup founders creating a minimum viable product (MVP) is a crucial step to testing out the product with potential customers, landing that first client or pilot program.

Definition of MVP (minimum viable product):

A minimum viable product is a mock up, prototype, or scaled down version of your product. It allows a startup to show potential customers what the product does and how it will solve their problems. It also helps the teams learn about what works and what needs to be improved.

Where to begin is a question often asked when starting any project. We recommend starting with where you are at and what you know, and follow this structure.

There are four different stages of what you need to have figured out in order to build your MVP.

1.Definition Stage

This stage is the foundation of your project and where you decide what your product will be and what problem you are trying to solve for people.

Define the problem clearly so you know you have built the right MVP.

What problems do your target users experience and how is your solution reducing those pain points? Diagram the business workflow.

Identify your target audience (see how to create a persona) Build your MVP for the main target customer first to keep the build simple.

Set up clear goals and objectives for this first release. Decide what it is going to be used for and what you want to achieve with it. You can also set up specific metrics to help the team understand how the MVP will be used.

Prioritize the features and the functionality based on the goals and objectives you set up. Include the minimum features you need and design the product architecture that your product will be built upon.

2. User Flow

This stage involves designing the pathways in a diagram that users will follow within your MVP. This stage is critical for making sure the user experience is seamless. 

Map the user journeys that describe how the users will interact with your product. This helps you make decisions about what to include and what to not include. It also shows dependencies of steps and information along the way. 

Create wireframes to visualize the layouts. If your MVP is simple or just a mock up you can skip this step. Sometimes a video recording of the steps or screenshots is enough to convey the message of what the product is about.

Designing the user interface (UI). Here you focus on the usability and the look and feel of the pages. If you have a brand guide then follow that for the colors, fonts and other elements.

3. Clickable Demo

This stage brings together the branding of the product, any user flows, product workflow and basic features into a demonstration version of the product. It is a crucial step for showcasing your product.

Here is one example of how an AI startup found that making a clickable demo helped them with their MVP. Alex Williams CTO of DatumNexus explains,

An interactive prototype is helpful for when you demo it to your team, potential investors, mentors, supporters, developers and anyone else you need to show the product to. Ideally it can be interactive. Figma software is a good program to use to accomplish this task.

Conduct user testing with a small group of potential users. Collect feedback and observations.

Integrate the feedback after discussing it with your team and subject matter experts.

4. Product Development

This stage is for building the logic and functionality of your product. The outcome will take the wireframes and designs into a working prototype or MVP.

Develop the technology stack and begin the set up. Only include the essential features but keep it functional.

Test continuously as you develop the product and fix any bugs. 

Iterate the product as you build it. Make improvements if you are able to get any user feedback. Document any changes and differences from your initial plans.

Many startup founders have their product idea, spend a ton of time and money to build it, and then show it to potential customers instead of running the product idea by the customer before they finish building it. The advantage of building a mini version or MVP of the product is that you have not invested too much time and money before you show it to everyone. Then you can find out what needs to be changed and you have resources to change it. It might be nice to fully build a really nice beta - but the product may not meet the needs of the market/customer.

The result of being prepared and planning ahead for an MVP is that you have a better vision of what the product will look like and how it will work.

In summary, build your product quickly, at low cost, get users to see it, and show off your ideas.

Fun Fact

An MVP of Buffer, a social media scheduling tool, was a simple landing page where users could schedule posts for a single platform. How minimum should you build your product, according to Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup, “probably much more minimum than you think.” Buffer’s first MVP was two pages. They just wanted to learn if people would use the app.