Ideas for apps come and go. But it isn’t rare for at least one to stick and make us wonder if it would be a good idea to work on it. Regardless of whether you’re a software developer or not, it is possible to make that idea a reality. To do so, one must always pass through what’s called a “Minimum Viable Product,” or MVP for short. We’ll take a look into what implies working towards an MVP and what to expect while launching one.
What is an MVP and why should I want to build one?
As the name suggests, a Minimum Viable Product represents the core functionalities of an application in a way that it can be used by potential customers. An MVP is not supposed to be released to the public, but rather it serves as a statement to potential investors and other developers to show what the app is supposed to look like, and to ensure that there is an established idea backed by a team of developers or any other group of people, who are committed to the idea. This version of the product also helps to gather feedback from early users, both in design and reliability settings. The users can mess around with the app and let the developers know what they expected to find and what they found instead.
The idea behind an MVP, or any app for that matter, is that potential customers have a need or a desire. The MVP shows that a team of developers is capable of fulfilling that need or desire. The stripped-down version of the product lets the development team know what inconveniences have they overlooked, and if they are actually helping the users fulfill their need.
An MVP marks the frontier between ambitious ideas and serious business
Developing a market-ready app takes a gargantuan amount of work, time and energy. Being a single developer is rarely enough to launch a service that’s prepared to meet every customer’s expectations; that’s why developers tend to work in teams, with QA testers, project managers, back and front-end developers and so on. Producing a Minimum Viable Product means that it was possible to organize a team and lead it to develop a concise idea; that’s no small feat! Additionally, because most software products are expected to turn profits, it is necessary to invest in paying the software developers, servers, marketing and many other crucial things that any respectable app counts with.
A Minimum Viable Product paired with a feasible business plan can be shown to potential investors, who would take a look at a real version of the idea and more easily agree to become part of its future by providing the funds to employ more resources.
Reflecting the business idea: User stories and feedback
Most modern software development methodologies employ “user stories,” which are metaphors that reflect the expected functionalities of an application or information system. These stories get stripped down into tasks, which then the developers take and turn into a reality by coding. This means that the bridge between an abstract idea and actual, working software, are the user stories. While many developers dismiss user stories and requirements as being of little use, having high-quality user stories or something equivalent is a must for the success of software development projects.
On the other side of the spectrum, there’s the user feedback, which should be handled carefully. There are times when user feedback is positive and uneventful and the developers can move on with their work. The problem surfaces when user feedback is overwhelmingly negative; there are cases where user feedback has led the development team to basically start from scratch. Not every team is prepared for potential failure; quite the contrary. Most startups are fueled by enthusiasm. It is on the MVP stage where the business idea is confronted with the real world, and the team should be prepared for the worst. If for some reason the MVP release goes badly, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes even minor interface changes or a different color scheme can wildly change the customer’s perception. After all, that’s what Minimum Viable Products are for. If the MVP release was a failure, in a different sense it was a success! It is then possible to go back to the drawing board and see where the project went wrong.
