Build Your First Product: MVP

You’ve reached the stage where your customer’s problem is crystal clear, thanks to validation, and you have a solid idea of what kind of product could solve it. Now it’s time to validate your startup’s most important hypothesis — the value hypothesis. This defines the core value your company delivers to the customer. Your next mission is to find out whether that assumption is true.

 

MVP: Minimum Viable Product

The Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is the smallest functional product you can create to reliably test your value hypothesis. Its purpose is to discover whether customers perceive real value in your proposed solution.

An MVP doesn’t have to be a stripped-down version of your full “vision product” and it’s not designed to validate your entire business model. MVPs range from the simplest “smoke tests” to functional but minimal prototypes.

At this stage, profitability is not the goal. The cost of producing your MVP might even exceed the price customers are willing to pay. That’s fine — your primary aim is to learn whether customers value the product enough to pay for it at all. Profitability will come later, once you develop your full product.

 

Examples of MVPs

Concierge MVP

If your vision product is an app, the MVP doesn’t need to be software. Sometimes you can deliver the promised value manually, through personal service, without heavy tech investment — and still gather valuable customer insights.

 

Wizard of Oz MVP

In this approach, customers believe they are interacting with a finished product (like a web app), but behind the scenes you are doing the work manually. This allows for realistic user experience testing with minimal build time.

 

Physical Prototype

For physical products, create one-off units by hand or with tools like 3D printing. Avoid mass production at this stage — even selling single units can reveal unexpected challenges.

 

Smoke Test

If your product is too complex to build early, test interest with a simple concept video or landing page. Showcase the product idea without actually having it built. Track sign-ups or pre-orders. This was exactly how Dropbox validated demand before writing a single line of code.

 

Plan and Build Your MVP

Start by defining what you want to learn. Each MVP should focus on a single key learning objective. Your MVP doesn’t need to be perfect — it just needs to be credible and capable of delivering enough value for the test.

Tips for execution:

• Simplicity – Focus only on what’s essential to test your hypothesis. If in doubt, simplify further.
• Visual appeal – Even with minimal functionality, make it look trustworthy and appealing.
• Build fast – Use handcrafted solutions, 3D printing, or basic digital tools to move quickly.

Choosing Your MVP’s Sales Channel

The sales channel is part of your MVP design. It could be physical or online:

• Physical Sales Points – Attend events, trade fairs, or markets where your target customers gather. You’ll get direct feedback and observe reactions in real time.
• Online Store – Set up a simple e-commerce page to explain your product and accept orders. This can be an efficient way to measure demand and gather early customer data.