The 4 Types Of Minimum Viable Product

27 Jun 2022 | Business & Strategy

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Hooshang Bakht

Brego Business was started with a mission to make entrepreneurship easy. Our goal is to help business owners grow and scale without having to deal with the day-to-day stress of running a business. We specialize in providing services that help business owners grow their businesses, including search engine marketing (SEM), social media marketing (SMM), LinkedIn marketing, video production, accounts receivable (AR), accounts payable (AP), internal audit, VCFO, and recruitment. We have helped more than 500 brands grow their businesses. We work closely with the clients to understand their unique needs and develop customized strategies that deliver measurable results.

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The 4 Types Of Minimum Viable Product

The Secret To Every Successful Company!

Building an MVP is an excellent approach to market test your product. There are several types of minimum viable products, but all share the common goal of gathering insights from potential customers with the minimum amount of effort and resources required. Its name says it all it’s the most stripped-down and lean version of your product, with only the functionality required for the demonstration.

MVPs enable the quick (and low-cost) deployment of a product that is ready to test and learn from during the startup process.

A minimum viable product (MVP) is critical for your company’s growth. Here’s why:

  • It confirms your product concept and reduces the risk of prototyping. Rather than squandering time and money, your MVP provides functionality that allows others to test it and provide comments. You can gather and report your  MVP/customer-related information, providing you a clear indication of whether you’re on the right track.
  • It is the most important aspect of your marketing approach. You’re presenting a value proposition to your future users or current sign-ups with your MVP. You may begin creating your brand and voice, as well as expanding your user base.
  • It aids in the raising of future finances as well as the appeasement of potential investors. Your MPV is a physical, tested prototype of your product. If investors can see your product in action and see the feedback you’ve received on it, they’ll be more confident in investing in it. This equates to revenue potential and scalability.
  • It’s also worth remembering that the more value you provide with your MVP, the more ready your users will be to ignore any missing features or faults. In fact, if you’re ready to invest in the quality of your MVP — that is, ensuring that the specific features you offer are in the greatest possible state — the value of your product will likely rise.

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MVP’s At Billion Dollar Companies

An Example To Inspire!

Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, roommates and old classmates, couldn’t afford their loft apartment shortly after relocating to San Francisco in October 2007. Chesky and Gebbia came up with the concept of turning their living room into a bed and breakfast by putting an air mattress in it.

According to interviews, the initial intention was simply to “earn a little cash,” but they soon discovered that pairing bed and breakfasts with consumers could be a goldmine. They created a website, but they were having trouble getting people to utilize it. As a result, the San Francisco-based firm sought to target Craigslist’s clientele.

Airbnb gained a large number of potential users by allowing homeowners to automatically publish on Craigslist. After that, the rest is history. Airbnb now has a yearly revenue of $2.6 billion (2017).

Types Of MVP

Watch Out For These!

Personalized MVP

From the name itself, one understands that customization is one of the types of minimum viable products. In this type, you make use of techniques to suit the consumers’ needs right down to detail.It refers to adding a personal touch to the product that consumers would be able to relate to.

For example, a particular place, names, icons and so on that are to the preference of consumers, this is one of the most popular types of MVP. So, while your product is made as your company intends, there is also a part that consumers can relate to and can stick with.

This is a neat way to get your product in the market as you’re making use of your brand as a platform to add the stories of others and that is what strikes the most.  An advantage to add would be that you create orders as they come as well as get to expand your innovative skills.

It also gives way to better understand the likes and categories each consumer or group of consumers are drawn toward. However, one must make sure that they don’t get too driven into a particular aspect of customization as that would lift out the attention of other customers.

Pseudo-Automated MVP

The Pseudo-automated MVP model is one of the types of minimum viable products that companies can use to test assumptions and iterate toward a more refined product. For the customer, it seems like the product offered to them is completely automated with a seamless and flawless experience. They have no idea what’s happening behind closed doors. However, at the back, it is the founder or some other designated person who will do all the manual work behind the working of this product. So, let’s consider an example to understand this concept better.

Assuming you have a platform that offers customizable bitmoji t-shirts for young boys and girls. Now, the customer comes over to your platform and places an order with you by stating all their specifications. Now, he receives this order within the next seven days. To the customer, this is a seamless experience that brought their order to them in no time. However, if we look from the backend, the founder has to handle to end to end factors to make this happen. Right from working on the print work, to packaging the order, shipping the order, tracking the order to ensuring that the order reaches the customer, the founder is behind all the perfection and customer experience. That’s how the Psuedo-automated MVP model works.

Single-Feature MVP

This is one of the types of minimum viable products (MVPs). This more cost-efficient type of MVP focuses on one aspect of the product that is supposed to be the game-changer, rather than the all-around workings of the product.

To use this type of MVP, one needs to focus on the one attribute that makes their product unique and that stands out from the rest, one needs to feature the attribute that defines and comprises most of the product as a whole.

Once you figure out that one defining aspect, you dwell more on that in your product and see how it will benefit consumers compared to any other features or even product for that matter. In other words, it is using that one point that your ‘product is all about and emphasizing that.

Using Existing API

This is more of a smart way of working. Types of minimum viable products refer to using existing software and applications instead of going directly to involving new ones and already working on your actual product.

Using the existing API allows you to create your MVP and check its results, inputs, drawbacks, and all other statistics without having to directly jump to the actual process from the start.

This saves your time and is a more constructive idea when you’re testing the product and are just looking for feedback rather than sales. This gives a start-off so you can get on with your MVP testing without the initial, basic starting process which otherwise genuinely requires time and careful attention and allows you to focus on the results so you can plan how to initialize the actual process when you’ve got the details of the product fixed.

The Benefits Of An MVP

Winning Over Your Stakeholders & Investors

Businesses frequently rely on stakeholder or investor buy-in to acquire money and gain approval for a mobile project. The key to getting this buy-in is to instill trust in the product you’re pitching and its potential to provide the desired result.

Creating one of the types of minimum viable products is a good way to get this buy-in since it allows businesses to see if their idea will work before approaching investors, ensuring that when they do, they will have a compelling business case that supports the product’s market viability.Furthermore, an MVP is a completely functional product that allows entrepreneurs to demonstrate a real product to investors.

One approach to achieving this trust is by creating one of the different types of minimum viable products. An MVP is an effective way for businesses to determine if their idea will work before approaching investors, ensuring that they have a compelling business case that supports the product’s market viability. Furthermore, an MVP is a fully functional product that allows entrepreneurs to demonstrate a real product to investors, which can significantly improve the chances of obtaining funding.

Testing Business Models

The most significant advantage of creating an MVP is that it helps businesses to test their company concepts. Organizations can check if their product concept connects with people they consider to be their target audience by offering a core set of features rather than a full-fledged, feature-heavy product, enabling an opportunity to adjust a product’s direction based on findings.

Organizations will be able to detect what types of social groups are the most active consumers and how they interact with the product once it is introduced. This data can be utilized to better customize app functionality for specific users.

It would be considerably more difficult to update anything in a feature-rich product because companies would have to effectively reinvent the entire product. Instagram is an example of a company that did this with its MVP. Instagram wasn’t always the popular photo-sharing app it is now. Its main concept was originally based on a GPS function. However, when it was launched, the concept was changed based on feedback.

Also Read: Improve Your marketing Using the AIDA Model

Verification Of Market Demand

It’s all about testing with a Minimum Viable Product to determine what works and what doesn’t. In some respects, it’s more about trying to figure out what the market wants than it is about selling or acquiring clients. Organizations frequently assume that their product meets a certain user demand; however, this may not be the case, as the need may not exist, or existing market solutions may suit the requirement.

Without having to invest a lot of money, enterprises may utilize an MVP to evaluate market demand for their product and see if potential users need and would use it. Companies can either rework the solution their product delivers to allow for additional market differences or come up with a new concept entirely based on these results. Businesses must undertake user research to guarantee that their app provides a solution that their consumers have stated a desire for for it to be successful.

Monetization Strategy

Profitable products are required. When it comes to mobile apps, having a monetization plan is crucial to creating a long-term revenue stream. However, because a variety of app monetization tactics have been demonstrated to be successful, determining which strategy is best might be challenging at times.

One approach to this challenge is to explore the different types of minimum viable products (MVPs). Minimum Viable Products  allow organizations to test their hypotheses regarding which monetization strategy will work best for their app.If an app’s monetization plan revolves around in-app purchases, for example, companies may use their MVP to test this strategy and gauge their users’ readiness to pay for in-app upgrades and add-ons. If the results suggest that customers aren’t purchasing as much as leaders had intended, it’s time to try a different way to monetize the app.

The Bottomline 

An MVP is a process that focuses on testing. Businesses utilize this technique to identify their most risky assumptions, select the smallest possible experiment to test them, and use the results to steer development.

There are different types of minimum viable products that companies can create, such as a concierge MVP or a Wizard of Oz MVP, each with its own unique approach to testing assumptions. The essential message here is that a Minimum Viable Product allows companies to start small and iteratively grow into a stronger, more polished product, all while leveraging user knowledge to make the best product decisions. The product grows with each release version to maximize ROI and progress toward a fully developed application.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a minimum viable product (MVP)?

A minimum viable product (MVP) is a product with just enough features to satisfy early customers and provide feedback for future product development.

What are the benefits of creating a minimum viable product?

Creating a minimum viable product allows you to test the market with minimal investment and risk, and gather feedback from real users to improve your product.

What are the different types of minimum viable products?

There are several types of minimum viable products, including landing pages, prototypes, demos, and early versions of your product with limited functionality.

How do I determine what features to include in my minimum viable product?

You should focus on the core features that solve your customers' main pain points, and avoid adding unnecessary features that may detract from your product's value proposition.

How do I know if my minimum viable product is successful?

You can measure the success of your minimum viable product by tracking metrics such as user engagement, customer feedback, and conversion rates.

Can I launch my minimum viable product without a fully developed product?

Yes, you can launch your minimum viable product with limited functionality or a prototype, as long as it meets the needs of your early adopters and provides valuable feedback for future development.

How long does it take to create a minimum viable product?

The time it takes to create a minimum viable product can vary depending on the complexity of your product and the resources you have available. However, it is typically faster than creating a fully developed product.

How do I fund my minimum viable product?

You can fund your minimum viable product through self-funding, crowdfunding, angel investors, or venture capital firms.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when creating a minimum viable product?

Common mistakes to avoid when creating a minimum viable product include adding too many features, targeting the wrong market, and failing to gather feedback from early users.

How do I use feedback from my minimum viable product to improve my product?

You should use feedback from your minimum viable product to identify areas for improvement and prioritize future development. This feedback can help you create a more robust and valuable product for your customers.