The website is now live! It’s far from what it can be, but it does what it needs to… How is that for an MVP?
I was first introduced to the Minimum Viable Product concept at a GreenTech StartUp Bootcamp in 2018.
The MVP mindset changed everything!
The idea of releasing a product with the minimum features required to solve a particular problem, or achieve a specific goal, then modifying it based on feedback is brilliant. However, it took a while for me to figure out how to truly apply it.
This concept is not as new as some may think. Do these words seem familiar?
- Update
- Patch
- Upgrade
- Version
- Beta
For years, companies have engaged in rapid product creation and testing loops, gradually improving with each iteration. The resulting innovations changed the way we communicate, shop, watch movies… just about everything.
Does this mean I am going to settle for mediocrity?
Absolutely not! In fact, by focusing on the most efficient way to solve a problem, I can cut out the bells and whistles, which will allow for more practical development.
In the past, I am guilty of agonizing over every aspect of my creations. In some cases shelving projects for months, with the hope that one day I will perfect it. As a result, many ideas remained on the shelf, gathering dust, only to see something similar being advertised later on.
Save time, save money, increase productivity!
Some may see this as minimalism for business, and they would be right. For example, in my case, instead of buying all the latest tech to create this website, as I have done in the past, I broke it down to three questions.
- What is the main purpose of the website?
- What Pages would I need to accomplish this?
- What additional content or resources would I need to achieve this main purpose?
With those questions in mind, I set out to gather the necessary bits and pieces, and within two weeks it is now live. This is a task that normally would have taken me a month or two as I deliberated over aesthetics, and features that never got used by myself or any of my visitors.
The key is to work smarter, not harder!
Now that the site is up, I can continue to add content daily, edit when necessary and over time, work on the overall visitor experience, based on feedback from actual visitors.
A similar process can be used with almost any idea… Just keep it simple!