In the business world, new ideas come up all the time. Some work, some don’t. This is precisely why the concept of MVP (Minimum Viable Product) was created, which is simply the test version of a project.
If you have never heard of the MVP, you should know that it is one of the most used methodologies of the digital age when it comes to developing new products.
It is no coincidence that the MVP avoids wasting time and money on projects that will not bring the expected results for companies, especially for startups.
Our agency helps you achieve your goals by developing your MVP and/or marketing it. Contact us now to discuss!
Que signifie MVP ?
As explained earlier, MVP stands for Minimum Viable Product.
Product developers know that many ideas can come up in everyday life, but not all of them are really interesting.
Sometimes we think something can be extremely useful, make great sales and be successful, but the reality turns out to be very different, even with great marketing and advertising efforts.
The problem with these projects not moving forward is the investment and time allocated to their development.
But then, how do you know which product is really good or which one is best? The answer is: by creating a pattern!
The idea behind an MVP is to develop a test version of your project, with minimal financial investment and time, and at the same time able to offer the same values as the finished product.
In this way, the idea can be tested and, if approved, all the necessary structure for its development will be applied.
Start-ups are the most common users of the MVP concept, as they typically have little money and a core idea that is new to the market.
Leaders must move quickly to develop and implement it effectively, attracting resources and investing them in the right places.
However, don’t think that only small businesses use this concept. Small, medium or large, every organization should use the minimum viable product to optimize its resources.
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Why is the MVP so important to the success of a product?
MVP is, conceptually, a smart way to test the success of an idea before investing money or time in it.
If we stop to think about it, there are several products launched by big brands that required a high investment, but did not have the expected success.
This has happened, for example, with the food products of the Colgate brand, famous for its toothpaste.
The brand invested in the creation of food products such as frozen lasagna to diversify its product line, but the results were not interesting.
Did they test the product in the market before making the investment? If they didn’t, they should have!
Facebook itself, today’s largest social network, was already an MVP. The platform was tested by Mark Zuckerberg with his colleagues at Harvard University.
The minimum viable product is not just about defining whether a product is a good bet or not. Creating a prototype and testing for market acceptance provides valuable information.
It is interesting to use the strategy to formulate the best product. The final project may be very different from this initial test, depending on the reaction of the audience.
The important thing is that, even as an MVP, your product retains a core value proposition.
In other words, why is your product valuable and necessary to someone, what problems does it solve, what are its differentials in the market compared to other existing options?
It doesn’t matter if a product is an MVP or not, the key is that it has these values for the test to be truly effective.
What is the process for creating a minimum viable product?
Now that you know what an MVP is, let’s see what steps you need to take to create one efficiently. Let’s get started!
- Define the value proposition
We said in the previous topic that the main point of the MVP is the value proposition, so the first step is precisely to define it.
Your MVP must answer certain questions about your product or service with extreme precision:
- Why does the public need it?
- What solutions does it offer?
- How will the public use it?
- Why will the public choose it over competitors already in the market?
- What really makes it valuable?
These questions help in the design phase of the Minimum Viable Product so that the MPV model represents the core values of the finished product and the tests are therefore effective and realistic.
- Choose the right audience
Whether in French-speaking Switzerland, in Switzerland as a whole or even worldwide, the target audience (or persona) of a minimum viable product is very important. It must have the same characteristics as the company’s target audience, otherwise the results may deviate from what is expected.
- Determine the duration of the test
Another important point is the length of time the product or service will be tested. If the period is too short, it can give us an insufficient answer; if, on the contrary, it is very long, it can harm its launch on the market.
- Test the market response
The fourth step in the MVP methodology is to conduct a test with the public. This test is very important because it is the key to determining whether or not the market will approve of your solution.
If you don’t take this step, you may invest a significant amount of money, develop a product, and then when you launch it on the market, sales may be disappointing and you may end up with a big loss.
Thus, in this test phase, there are two stages to follow, alpha and beta:
- In the alpha phase, you test your minimum viable product with a small, controlled audience. You choose who will participate in the test.
- In the beta phase, users of the product or service simulate your usual audience.
We often see companies with great products or services in beta. In this case, the solution explicitly states that it is still in this phase and may undergo changes until it reaches the final phase.
In both of these tests, the key is for the company to interpret the audience’s receptivity, the success of the value proposition, and where improvements can be made immediately.
You can count on Edana’s experts to create an MVP efficiently, to promote it and to accompany your company in its digital growth in a reliable and efficient way.
