What is a Minimum Viable Product?

Bringing a new idea to life (whether it’s improving how your business runs or building an entirely new software product) can feel like a big, complex task. The possibilities are endless and exciting! But those possibilities can feel equally daunting and overwhelming. When you’re unsure of where to begin or how much to invest, the concept of a minimum viable product (MVP) can help.

Understanding a Minimum Viable Product

An MVP is the simplest version of your idea that still works. It’s not a complete or polished product yet, it’s the very first version that’s still a usable product (or, minimally viable, just like the name suggests). 

Building a functional version of your idea is a great way to see if software solves the problem you’ve set out to fix for your target audience. Think of it like opening a food truck before investing in opening a full restaurant. In this example, it’s a smart way to test your menu, pricing, and your overall concept in the market.

The goal isn’t to have a perfect product; it’s to have proof that your idea is worth investing in. You’re testing whether your idea truly helps and solves the problem you’ve identified.

Save time and money while reducing risk

Starting with a simpler version of your idea saves time and money by giving you quicker feedback and reducing your overall risk. Instead of spending months (or sometimes years!) building a large and robust solution to your problem, an MVP helps you focus on the essentials of your solution. You’re able to launch faster and avoid wasting effort on features you don’t really need.

Of course, every business investment has some risk. An MVP lets you test your idea in real-world scenarios before putting too much on the line. If it doesn’t work as expected, you’ve learned valuable lessons without draining your budget. If it succeeds, however, you can invest more into your project with confidence.

After launching your MVP

Once your MVP is live, it’s time to engage with it. This might look different depending on what your product is designed to do and who your target audience is. For example, if you’re building software to solve an internal process for you and your team, you’ll need them to use it and give you feedback on how it’s working. If you’re building software for other users, you’ll want to find a few people you can trust to give you feedback about your product. 

Regardless of who your product is intended for, you’ll want to ask them these kinds of specific questions:

• What feature is the most important?

• Is anything confusing or frustrating?

• What would make it easier to use?

• What works well?

Keep note of their responses and use their feedback to help determine your next steps—whether it’s adding new features to your product, improving part of the design, or rethinking your approach entirely. Their responses will also help you determine the value propositions you can use to sell your product later.

Finding a software partner to help

You don’t need to figure this out alone. A good software development partner will help you:

• Identify the core problem you’re trying to solve

• Choose the simplest version of your idea that’s still useful

• Build and test it 

• Sort through feedback with you to guide your next steps

The right software studio will explain everything in plain English. You’ll always understand what’s happening, why it matters, and what comes next.

Building a first version isn’t about cutting corners—it’s about staying in control while building software. It’s the most effective way to test your idea, get feedback in real use-cases, and make educated decisions about what to do next. Whether you’re improving your existing business or starting something brand new, this approach will help you move forward with confidence.

Ready to start building your own MVP with a trusted software partner? Reach out to Aktiga to learn more about our process and how we help businesses bring their ideas to life—starting with MVPs.