And there’s a number of different types of MVPs you can build, like:
Fake door MVP – not an MVP in the traditional sense, fake door MVP are usually landing pages built to gauge market interest before building an MVP or prototype
Pre-order MVP – pre-order MVPs is when you take pre-orders and crowdfund before actually developing your product
Single-feature MVP – this type of MVP, as the name suggests, covers only the main feature of your product and it’s one of the most common MVP types
Concierge MVP – a concierge MVP looks like a normal app, but the back-end is run manually by humans
The type of MVP you build will depend on the type of app you’re building, your budget, and your unique requirements.
Building an MVP is the best way to make sure the app you’re building can succeed in your target market without spending too much on development.
And that’s why it’s so popular.
Top tips for building an app MVP
Now, let’s discuss some top tips you should follow when building your app MVP.
Validate your idea first
A successful app MVP needs to meet your users’ needs.
And the best way to do that is validating your idea first, before you start building your MVP.
While your MVP is an idea validation tool itself, you should still independently validate your idea before committing to its development.
And there’s a good reason for that – according to a CB Insights report, having no market need is one of the top reasons why startups fail:
When you do discovery, you get a deep understanding of your users’ needs and pain points.
And more importantly, you will know how your product can meet those needs.
That will help you build an MVP that can succeed in the market.
Why validating your idea first is important
Reduces the risk of failure – validating your idea first reduces the risk of your MVP failing once it hits the market and ensures it has a strong foundation
Helps prioritize features – idea validation and product discovery will help you understand which features your users actually want to use
Saves time and resources – if you validate your idea before building an MVP, you’ll save time and resources if your idea isn’t viable
Analyze your competition
If you want to build a successful app MVP, you need to know what your competitors are doing.
Analyzing your competition will help you better position your app on the market and understand how to differentiate your app.
That will also show you if you have achieved product-market fit, which is essential for your app’s success.
And while we’re on the subject, here’s what Resonate’s founder, Davor Culjak, has to say about product-market fit:
So, how do you do competitive analysis?
The first step is identifying your competitors.
Of course, you likely already have an idea who you’re up against in your target market.
But, you need to do an in-depth analysis – and that means categorizing your competitors as either primary, secondary, or tertiary competitors.
By doing this, you’ll get a comprehensive overview of your target market and competitors.
Once you’ve done that, you should analyze the 4 Psfor each competitor:
Product
Price
Place
Promotion
While it’s an old-school concept (dating back to 1960), it’s still one of the best techniques to use if you want to understand your competitors.
But, you shouldn’t stop there – make sure you do other analyses likeSWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) and Porter’s 5 forces, to name a few.
They will help you identify unmet user needs and gaps in the market your app MVP can fulfill.
And that’s essential if you want it to be successful.
Why analyzing your competition is important
Identifies market gaps – competitive analysis will help you find gaps in the market and unmet user needs your MVP can fulfill
Helps you position your app – by analyzing your competitors, you’ll get an idea on how to correctly position your app MVP on the market
Helps you create a pricing strategy – competitive analysis will help you create a pricing strategy that fits your target market and user expectations
Prioritize key features
As we mentioned before, building an MVP is all about developing an app with only its core features done well.
According to Pendo, 80% of features in an average software product are rarely or never used.
So, correctly choosing your features is key to your MVP’s success.
But, how exactly can you do that?
First, you need to come up with a list of features you want your app to have.
Then, ask yourself questions like:
Does this feature meet our users’ needs?
Is it technically feasible?
Do our competitors have this feature?
Is it aligned with our broader business goals?
If you’re doing product discovery, insights from your user research will help you answer these questions.
Your next step is prioritizing the key features you’ve identified – there are a number of feature prioritization methods you can use, like:
Using them is the best way to objectively evaluate potential features you want to include and will ensure you pick the ones that meet your users’ needs.
And that’s what building an MVP is all about.
Why prioritizing key features is important
Shortens development time – building an MVP with only a few key features shortens development time, so you can get it to market faster
Reduces costs – building only a few core features is much cheaper than building a feature-rich app from the start
Improves app quality – by focusing on a few key features, you can spend more time on refining them which will improve your app’s overall quality and UX
Use Agile methodologies
Using Agile methodologies is key when you’re building an app MVP.
If you use them, you’ll be able to adjust to changing requirements and be flexible during development.
And that’s essential when you’re building an MVP.
But, what does an Agile team look like? And which methodologies should you use?
Agile teams are cross-functional by design and your team should include:
Your choice will come down to your team’s preferences and your MVP’s requirements.
The most popular Agile methodology is Scrum, with 81% of Agile teamsusing Scrum or a Scrum hybrid.
And there’s a good reason for that.
Scrum divides the development cycle into smaller (2-4 week) iterations called sprints.
And each sprint acts like a mini development cycle, from planning to testing and deployment.
This approach helps your team work quickly and efficiently when building your MVP.
And that’s why it’s the right choice.
Why using Agile methodologies is important
Speeds up development – Agile methodologies like Scrum focus on short, focused sprints which shortens the development cycle and speeds up development
Improves productivity and collaboration – Agile methodologies are collaborative and transparent by design, which will improve your team’s productivity and help them work better together
Gets your app to market faster – since Agile speeds up development, you will get your app to market faster which is essential when you’re building an MVP in a competitive market
Create a feedback loop and iterate
Collecting and iterating on user feedback is crucial for your MVP’s long-term success.
The stats prove it, too – 77% of usersview brands that collect and accept feedback more favorably.
And creating a feedback loop is the best way to make the most of your users’ feedback.
The sooner you get to the feedback loop, the sooner you can give users what they actually want.
Marko Strizic, DECODE co-founder and CEO
So, what does a feedback loop look like? And how do you set it up?
A typical feedback loop will look like this:
The point of a feedback loop is to continuously collect, analyze, and iterate on the feedback you get on your MVP.
You should first set up and gather feedback from multiple feedback channels, like:
They support quick growth and will allow you to easily scale your app without sacrificing performance.
And that’s exactly what you should be looking for.
Why planning for future scaling is important
Smooth user experience – Planning for future scaling will ensure your app delivers a smooth, responsive experience to your users even at peak traffic
Supports quick growth – if your MVP is scalable from the start, your app will be able to support quick growth in user numbers and data traffic
Helps you avoid major overhauls in the future – having a scalable architecture from the get-go will help avoid the need for costly overhauls as your app grows
Rigorously test your app MVP before launch
$2.41 trillion – that’s how much poor software quality costs U.S. companies every year.
Rigorously testing your app MVP before launch will help you avoid becoming part of that statistic.
You’ll also ensure your users get a fully functional and usable app, which will help you build trust and improve your retention rate.
Learn from a software company founder.
Make your software product successful with monthly insights from our own Marko Strizic.
So, how do you make sure you’re doing testing right?
For starters, you need an in-depth testing strategy.
This will help your QA team plan tests and work more efficiently.
Also, you should start testing as early as possible.
Fixing bugs early in your MVP’s development cycle is up to a 100x cheaper:
Ante is a true expert. Another graduate from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, he’s been a DECODEr from the very beginning. Ante is an experienced software engineer with an admirably wide knowledge of tech. But his superpower lies in iOS development, having gained valuable experience on projects in the fintech and telco industries.
Ante is a man of many hobbies, but his top three are fishing, hunting, and again, fishing. He is also the state champ in curling, and represents Croatia on the national team. Impressive, right?
