Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Mombasa hackerthon at JKUAT by Nailab in conjuction with Mombasa Tech Community

MVP a strategy used for fast and quantitative market testing of a product or product feature, popularized by Eric Ries for web applications.

DESCRIPTION A Minimum Viable Product can be described as a product that contains only those features that allow it to be deployed, and no more. The product is typically deployed to a subset of possible customers, such as early adopters that are thought to be more forgiving, more likely to give feedback, able to grasp a product vision from an early prototype or marketing information and that are more likely to invest.

TALKING PRODUCTS "The minimum viable product is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort." Note: the use of the words maximum and minimum in the definition means it is decidedly not formulaic; it requires judgment to figure out, for any given context, what MVP makes sense.

PROCESS An MVP is not a minimal product; it is a strategy and process directed toward making and selling a product to customers. It is an iterative process of idea generation, prototyping, presentation, data collection, analysis and learning.

ITERATE

WHERE TO FIND

TECHNIQUE 1 A Minimum Viable Product may be an entire product or a sub-set of product (such as a feature). Product: (smoke test) the standard MVP strategy for a web application is to create a mock website for the product and purchase online advertising to direct traffic to the site. The mock website may consist of a marketing landing page with a link for more information or purchase. The link is not connected to a purchasing system, instead clicks are recorded and measure customer interest.

TECHNIQUE 2 Feature: (deploy first, code later) A link to a new feature in a web application may be provided in a prominent location on an existing website. The feature is not implemented, rather an apology, mock-up, or marketing page is provided. Clicks of the link are recorded and provide an indication as to the demand for the feature in the customer base.

WHAT YOU NEED you only need one customer; it is better to reach a few genuine customers who will help you make something lasting than many who have nothing to offer or gain.