BUILDING AN MVP

An MVP (minimum viable product) is a basic, launchable version of the product that supports minimal yet must-have features that define its value proposition. An MVP helps you get to market more quickly, attract early adopters, and achieve product-market fit from early on.

Building an MVP implies finding the right balance between what the business offers and what users need. The purpose of the MVP is to test the hypothesis that the product will solve a user problem. MVPs also allow businesses to minimise errors in the development process. They can help you collect feedback by targeting specific groups or user types. Focus on one idea and prioritise the most critical features required to launch your product.

To summarise:

• Define the basic idea
• Identify the problem the MVP will solve
• Create a user journey map to help create your user experience
• Describe the features
• Develop and test the MVP
• Drive your user journey from your market research

Mapping out user flow and creating a user journey

Design the app in a way that is convenient for your target customer. You need to look at the app from the user’s perspective. Think about what you want as a user in the product or app, starting from opening the app to the final process, such as making a purchase or delivery. 

In addition, user flow is an important aspect to consider because it ensures nothing will be missed while keeping the future product and its user satisfaction in mind.

Let’s say you can sell products through your app. To define the user flow, it is necessary to define the stages of the process – from the home page to checkout. For that, explain the steps needed to reach the main objective. The focus should be more on basic tasks such as finding and buying the product or managing and receiving orders rather than features.

Prioritising features

At this stage, prioritise all the features that the MVP will support. Ask questions such as: 

• What do the users want? 
• Is this product offering them something beneficial? 

In the next step, categorise all the remaining MVP features based on priority: high, medium, and low priority. 

Use a product development or project management app such as Asana or Jira. 

Another essential step is to arrange these features in the product backlog. 

It’s time to begin building an MVP visually. If you want to see how your future product will look, you can even create an MVP’s prototype.

Software for rapid prototyping for apps

There is software available online for creating a rapid prototype. You can try Adobe XD or InVision if you are planning to build a prototype software. You will need basic Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator knowledge to play around and edit the user interfaces.