What is an MVP or Minimum Viable Product in Technology and Startups?

Surely in the era we live in you have heard the term MVP and probably associate it with the NBA since they use these initials to refer to the "Most Valuable Player," but no, in our ecosystem, which is technology, digital products, and startups, it means "Minimum Viable Product," which as the name suggests, is the most basic version that can be launched to test a digital product or service in the shortest possible time and to test traction.

That is, carrying out an MVP implies developing a version that gives us an idea of what the product or service will be over a period of time, but at the same time makes it clear to visitors, users, or customers that it is a version that is currently in progress.

Why launch an MVP and not the complete product?

Usually, startups that are considered disruptive ideas and need to break into an existing market or create a new one do not have the time and/or economic resources for everything involved in developing a product, from the idea, through design, and ending with execution. That's why the MVP was invented, a version with the core characteristics of the idea, but without the additions or details. The idea is then for our niche or segmentation of potential customers to test our product in a quick period and prove that it is the solution to a specific problem, once the MVP is approved and traction has been tested, it is then added to the roadmap with all its complete features.

Do I need a complete product to create a startup?

The answer is no, for this purpose MVPs were created and in the ecosystem, this is recognized as the best practice to test a new product or feature. If you are thinking of creating a startup, first start by writing down all the characteristics and functions that your final product should have, remove all the more complex parts and leave the basic ones, with that you can launch and if potential customers do not show interest you would have saved the money and time of having executed the whole idea.

How to make an MVP?

Depending on the area, niche, and purpose, you could have various means to create an MVP, for example, if it is a digital product, mobile app, or webapp the first thing you should have is a name and a landing page that talks about what your product will be, indicating that it is developed and that it is on the roadmap. This way, users without having the platform finalized will understand if they find value, that if they continue using your product, at the price you give them, they will receive updates the next day with what you have promised on the roadmap.

To make an MVP that involves a landing page as the first iteration you currently have many resources, starting with builders like Wix or Webflow and moving on to new tools like Framer with AI or even for some cases with a Linktree (link in bio tools) and a subscription form is enough.