---

The main reason why products fail is that they don’t meet customers’ needs in a way that is better than other alternatives. – Dan Olsen, author of The Lean Product Playbook

A lot of startups fall into the trap of creating an incomplete product and calling it as a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). They launch a product with minimum features and when it fails to gain traction, they blame it on the MVP technique.

However, the actual issue is the lack of understanding of how MVPs are developed. It’s crucial to follow all the necessary steps to build an MVP that provides value to the target audience.

As an IT provider, we’ve been working with startups like yours for many years now, and over this time, gained enormous skills in building MVPs for our clients and helped them raise pre-seed funding. With such expertise under our belt, we are happy to share the experience.

Step 1: Define Your Vision and Your Target Audience

Perform market research to understand the needs, preferences, and pain points of your target audience. What value will your new product offer its users? This will help you develop a product that addresses a real need and solves a real problem.

Step 2: Map Out User Flow

The design process is vital because it affects how features are prioritized. So you must create the user flow in a way that is convenient for users. You must look from their perspective, right from opening the application to the final stage such as placing an order or tracking the delivery.

Step 3: Create a Prototype

Imagine constructing a car without using a visual model. You realise how impossible it is. Jumping straight into the development phase without first defining the requirements won’t work. Between the concept and the finished product sits the prototype that focuses on the ‘How’ aspect of the product.

Step 4: Get User Feedback

The MVP is developed for the users, so it is absolutely important to get their feedback. Not everyone is the targeted user so do not include friends or relatives unless they’re potential users. Also, keep in mind that you have to iterate repeatedly based on the users’ response.

Step 5: Choose a Development Methodology

Typically, there are 2 methods for MVP development: Agile and Waterfall. Compared to Waterfall, which is the traditional method, Agile ensures better results. It provides speed to market and a flexible approach because of its emphasis on incremental and iterative development.

Step 6: Have a Solid Pitch

Every day, hundreds of pitches are sent to investors, therefore it is critical to stand out with a clear, detailed, and interesting presentation deck. The presentation must be customised to the investor’s preferences and should emphasise the app’s unique selling proposition.

Final Thoughts

Developing an MVP is a popular launch strategy that worked marvels for big names like Figma, Uber, Dropbox, and more. They all started with an MVP.

You may be surprised that the first landing page of Airbnb started without the payments functionality. The tech giant Facebook, at first days, was only created for students so they could create groups for their classes to communicate. Today this app needs no introduction.

We believe you too can start small and develop your product into a great solution using the strategies outlined in this blog.