A minimum viable product (MVP) is the smallest possible, marketable version of a software or digital solution. With a clearly defined range of functions, you can go live faster, test real user needs and reduce the risk of bad investments. This allows you to build up to a successful product market fit step by step.
Why develop an MVP?
There are a few reasons for this:
Shorten time-to-market: go live faster and secure a competitive advantage
Minimize risks: only develop core functions
Direct feedback: real user behavior instead of assumptions
Focus investments: no over-engineering, but measurable learnings
The concept of the MVP originates from the lean startup method and helps to test hypotheses on the market at an early stage.
MVP vs. prototype vs. proof of concept
Prototype: A clickable model for visualizing an idea.
Proof of concept: Proof that a technology (or concept) works.
MVP: First marketable version with real users and KPIs.
MVP development in 4-12 weeks, e.g. for Apps or platforms
Measure KPIs: Customer activation, retention (so, do they stay?), error rates, conversion, and lots of other nice terms like that
Iterations: From MVP to Earliest Testable Product (ETP) and Earliest Usable Product (EUP) to Earliest Lovable Product (ELP).
With an MVP, you lay the foundation for sustainable product-market fit.
«Thanks to smartive, we achieved the MVP extremely quickly with limited resources. We are impressed by how intensively the agency dealt with our idea.»
Simon Hefti
Co-founder of Domicura AG
Earliest Testable Product
Although the first functional version of the app still has various protruding corners and unpolished edges, it achieves the desired effect. You let the very curious users test this version. The feedback shows where the greatest potential lies.
Earliest Usable Product
This version is so advanced that early adopters already want to use it. It won't win any beauty contests yet, but the added value is obvious.
Earliest Lovable Product
Your users love it. They tell their friends about it and are willing to pay for it. You have a marketable product that is ready to go live.
MVP development: costs & duration
As always, costs depend heavily on the scope. From a small test MVP from CHF 30,000 to more complex projects.
The duration is from 4-12 weeks, depending on the team and scope.
Transparency is created through clear prioritization and early testing.
Usually 4-12 weeks, depending on the scope and team.
What is the difference between MVP and prototype?
A prototype shows an idea, an MVP is already marketable and is being tested by real users.
Which KPIs are suitable for evaluating an MVP?
Activation, retention, error rate, conversion to defined actions, time-to-value and qualitative learnings from interviews and tests.
What happens after an MVP?
Based on what you learn, you decide whether to scale your product, expand the range of functions or adjust the direction - right up to the Earliest Lovable Product (ELP).
