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Too much software mindset. You can build a no-code solution, see how potential users interact with it, and learn from that. You can gage interest just by presen

by loopz 6y ago

Too much software mindset. You can build a no-code solution, see how potential users interact with it, and learn from that. You can gage interest just by presenting something to a focus group in a somewhat interactive way. MVP could even just be a poll. No need for a "product" or even a demo. If you can build a prototype fast and deliver fast, that could be valuable, but is often waay before evaluating what to build in the first place. There are success stories building something and iterating on that. If you yourself is multi-talented, have the time, clout and love your software, there might be some odds others might like/need it too. The latter is associated with most failures though. So be a business, not a software delivery function.

danShumway 6y ago
Sure, you don't need to code anything. You can build a no-code solution, see how potential users interact with it, and learn from that. But your no-code solution still needs to be a minimal feature set that people can actually use. If I'm building an MVP for a restaurant, maybe there's no code at all in that system. Maybe I'm manually taking everyone's orders and serving at most one or two dishes on a street corner. But I'm not just showing people pictures of food. Your no-code solution still needs to be a solution, it can't just be a promise that there will be a solution at some point in the future. An MVP doesn't mean code, it means: Build the smallest possible product (whether that involves code or not) that actually solves someone's problems in the real world, and then put that product in their hands so you can see what they do with it. A poll is not a product. No customer is going to pay you so that they can take a poll.
- loopz 6y ago
  You may not generate much income with initial MVP, or whatever you want to call it. The point is to learn while minimizing costs, risks and time to market. To expect greatness without work, is folly.. Your example with the restaurant is a perfect example: Have someone execute the MVP manually. Map routines that works great, optimize and document outcomes. This becomes spec for initial automations. The alternative could be someone in a corner office applying systems thinking and predicting everything required in the system. This tend to overcomplicate system designs and make them less amenable to adapt over time.
MockObject 6y ago
> MVP could even just be a poll. No need for a "product" or even a demo. A poll or a demo may be a great step, but it isn't viable, and isn't a product, so it's no kind of MVP.
odshoifsdhfs 6y ago
How can a poll be a MVP? Sure we can say MVP can be anything, but 'No need for a "product"' when the word product is right there in the name seems wrong to me. You don't need to do a MVP to do market/customer research, sure, but a mockup or a poll isn't a MVP, I'm sorry. Otherwise a blog post is a MVP, an image in IG is a MVP, etc.

by loopz 6y ago

danShumway 6y ago

Sure, you don't need to code anything. You can build a no-code solution, see how potential users interact with it, and learn from that. But your no-code solution still needs to be a minimal feature set that people can actually use. If I'm building an MVP for a restaurant, maybe there's no code at all in that system. Maybe I'm manually taking everyone's orders and serving at most one or two dishes on a street corner. But I'm not just showing people pictures of food. Your no-code solution still needs to be a solution, it can't just be a promise that there will be a solution at some point in the future. An MVP doesn't mean code, it means: Build the smallest possible product (whether that involves code or not) that actually solves someone's problems in the real world, and then put that product in their hands so you can see what they do with it. A poll is not a product. No customer is going to pay you so that they can take a poll.

loopz 6y ago
You may not generate much income with initial MVP, or whatever you want to call it. The point is to learn while minimizing costs, risks and time to market. To expect greatness without work, is folly.. Your example with the restaurant is a perfect example: Have someone execute the MVP manually. Map routines that works great, optimize and document outcomes. This becomes spec for initial automations. The alternative could be someone in a corner office applying systems thinking and predicting everything required in the system. This tend to overcomplicate system designs and make them less amenable to adapt over time.

MockObject 6y ago

> MVP could even just be a poll. No need for a "product" or even a demo. A poll or a demo may be a great step, but it isn't viable, and isn't a product, so it's no kind of MVP.

odshoifsdhfs 6y ago

How can a poll be a MVP? Sure we can say MVP can be anything, but 'No need for a "product"' when the word product is right there in the name seems wrong to me. You don't need to do a MVP to do market/customer research, sure, but a mockup or a poll isn't a MVP, I'm sorry. Otherwise a blog post is a MVP, an image in IG is a MVP, etc.