A minimum viable product starts the learning
Minimum does not mean careless or incomplete. The first version still needs to deliver its main result for the people it is meant to serve.
A minimum viable product is a functioning version with only the critical features needed to serve early users, gather feedback, and test whether the product is viable.
Start with one complete outcome
List the steps a person must take to receive value. Keep the capabilities that make that path work. Delay options that serve a different audience, add convenience, or decorate the experience without changing the result.
For an internal request tool, the core might be submitting a request, sending it to the right approver, and recording the decision. A broad reporting suite could wait until the team knows which information managers use.
Evidence guides the next version
An MVP is useful because people can use it and respond to it. Decide in advance what you need to learn. You might watch whether people complete the main task, where they stop, or which missing capability prevents regular use.
The next step may be to improve the product, change the audience, or stop. Adding features without connecting them to evidence turns an MVP into a smaller launch, not a test of viability.
MVP terms
- Viable
- Useful enough for the intended people to complete the core task and provide meaningful feedback.
- Critical feature
- A capability the product must have to deliver its main value.
- Iteration
- A revised version shaped by what the team learned from the previous one.
A useful MVP test
Name one user
Define the specific person and situation the first version is for.
Keep the core task
Include what that person needs to reach the promised result.
Plan the feedback
Decide what you will observe and which decision the evidence will inform.
Questions about minimum viable products
No. A prototype is an early model used to test an idea or experience. An MVP is a functioning product with enough value for early use and feedback.
There is no fixed number. It should contain the smallest set that lets the intended person complete the core task and lets the team test its main assumption.
No. Viable applies to the first defined audience and purpose. The product can be useful for that group while still needing more work before wider use.
Related glossary guides
Start with the useful core
Caffeine apps run on the Internet Computer, a public network built for this.