An MVP application is a version of a product that contains a basic value proposition with only the essential features to bring value to market as quickly as possible. The MVP will indicate which features of the application you should include to achieve success. MVP development therefore is the process of identifying user problems and determining the appropriate product functionality to meet those needs over time.
MVP – a tool to leverage your business
In mobile app development, it is very important to choose a programming method where you develop only basic functionality to solve a specific problem and satisfy early users. MVP is the basic model of your product that will fulfill the main goal you want to achieve.
As mentioned, user responses to your MVP will tell you whether your development process is going in the right direction or not. You can grow your business through proven testing of new products, thus avoiding failure, in terms of a bad investment. An MVP will allow you to assess whether your target audience is right for your product. (Sometimes disappointing feedback can indicate that you are targeting the wrong people, not that your product is the wrong solution).
Potential traps of MVP
The first trap you may fall into is lack of profitability. As you know, the key element of an MVP is business viability, meaning an authentic solution that people are willing to use. Within the project team itself, there is a risk that the focus is on the ‘M’ aspect, of the whole MVP acronym that is – minimal – this can have a negative impact on quality.
If it doesn’t give a real indication of where the final product might be going, the feedback won’t enable an accurate assessment of whether users will adopt the product. One of the biggest pitfalls of MVP development is the lack of user understanding.
Just testing a minimum viable product assumes that test users can understand the intended purpose of the product and provide the necessary feedback. If not, you probably haven’t explained the context clearly enough. This trap has a good side, because while still at this stage we can easily do something about it, so that the customer can understand us better and discover the purpose of our application right away.
How does Boldare look at MVP development?
Boldare uses the Scrum methodology with its clear project roles (developers, designers, product owner, scrum master) and short sprints (1-2 weeks) to work quickly and efficiently, often creating a series of MVPs as part of an ascending development path in a series of constantly improving iterations that test every potential element of the final product.
A key step in the process at Boldare is always the consultative approach. By kicking off each collaboration with a 1-2 day product workshop that brings the client and development team together, Boldare shows that it cares about the client. This allows us to develop a custom development strategy for the client, including MVP releases for testing.
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