Minimum Viable Product Software Development: Everything You Need to Know

It’s no secret that working on a new product idea can be risky. What if there was a way you could gain the opportunity to validate your idea, test the waters and increase your chances of success? Here at Unosquare, we want to help you understand how to do this by leveraging minimum viable product software development.

Curious to know how to make this work for your organization? Keep reading to find out more about MVP software development and how to implement it in your organization.

What is an MVP?

An MVP, or minimum viable product, is a development technique where you create a new product with core features that will satisfy early adopters. The final set of features will remain in development and companies apply them to the product after receiving and considering user feedback.

Why is an MVP important?

There are several different ways companies can benefit from MVP development. The best way to look at an MVP is as a “starting point”. It lies in between the earlier stages of the development process and the final product. Creating a minimum viable product is arguably one of the most important steps you can take in creating a software product because it allows you to get out in front of potential users and understand how they feel about the concept.

An MVP also allows you to test basic functionalities and if the right decisions were made during the development process. On top of this, you will also be able to identify any errors and bugs and remember what the risk areas were when working on a final product.

Lastly, an MVP helps you save time and money. It allows you to uncover and eliminate any possible risks in future development. It also allows you to recognize new opportunities that you may not have initially considered.

What is the goal of an MVP?

Put simply, the goal of an MVP is to launch your product quickly within a budget. An MVP helps you find the right audience, achieve product validation and understand what you will need to put into future product development efforts. It’s all about getting to the market with reasonable speed and giving your product the best chance at success.

Developing the concept of your MVP

Now, the question is, where do you start your minimum viable product approach? To develop the concept of your MVP there are four things you’ll want to do:

1. Start with market research and analysis

Before you do anything else, it’s important that you start with market research and analysis. This will help ensure that you have a marketable product before you begin development. It will give you insight into the needs of your target user.

2. Consider the value

It’s also important that you understand what your product will offer to its users and how will they benefit from using it. If you expect real users to spend money on the product, it’s important to figure out not just what it will do, but how users will see the benefits.

3. List all product features that will be necessary

Next, you need to list the features you want in your project. Base this on what will be most important to the user. Next, you want to categorize the features based on priority. Once you categorize all of the features you are almost ready to enter development.

4. Think through user experience

You may be working on an MVP product, but you still need to provide a good experience for your users. Once you know what features you’ll include, you’ll need to think about how they’ll function within the product and the development effort that it will take to create an experience that users will appreciate.

How can you create an MVP in software development?

Not sure where to start with your MVP? You create a no-code MVP. No-code development allows programmers and non-programmers to create software. If you have an idea for software but don’t have the resources or time to hire developers to build it, you may want to consider the no-code route for your MVP.

After your MVP: What’s next?

The MVP is just the beginning of an iterative process to bring your software to market and improve it. Here’s a look at what the next steps are and how our team can help you take your efforts to the next level.

Consulting

Here at Unosquare, we have a proven, repeatable, and scalable technology consulting process that enables us to deliver your software applications. Each member of our application development consulting workforce that you choose for your team has the specialized skills and experience required to support custom software development – from scoping your project through system design and project management, to delivery.

Outsourcing

Not sure how to make outsourcing work for your organization? We are the software development partner that adapts to your needs. We provide the complementing talent for your teams in a way that is fast, transparent, and efficient with our Distributed Agile Software Development staffing solutions. We are laser-focused on finding the best software development talent in the world and putting together an outstanding delivery management practice, so you don’t have to.

With over 700 professionals worldwide based in our locations in Mexico and Northern Ireland, we ensure a substantial time-zone overlap with your sites or provide a 24-hour development workforce, facilitating the critical communication and speed requirements of the Agile development process and your communication needs.

Want to scale your digital product development efforts?

We can help. Unosquare works with the best talent in the world. That way, you can move forward on your product with confidence and bring in the expertise you need to get your software development project done. Let us provide expertise for your teams in a way that is fast, transparent, and efficient. To find out more about what Unosquare can do for your organization, check out our blog.