Prototyping MVP

The Real MVP?

A Mutually Usable Product (MUP) 

Many companies are planning and implementing digital applications faster than ever to provide services to their customers in the post-COVID-19 world we’ve been thrust into. While speed to market is critical, the quality of the product should not suffer. 

If you release an unusable (or not quite ready) product it will only frustrate your customers, potentially losing them to a competitor, and cost you an exponential amount of time and money fixing your product. You may even have to go back to the beginning of the design process to research your customer’s true needs and create a new strategy.

Fixing a problem in development costs 10 times as much as fixing it in design, and 100 times as much if you’re trying to fix the problem in a product that’s already been released.

UX Planet

By definition, an MVP doesn’t have all the bells and whistles. The product will have the smallest, basic, core functionality that your customer needs. Going to market with an MVP may be hasty, however, and get you into the exact position you don’t want to be in—A monotonous money suck.

Instead, your MVP needs to be a minimally usable product (MUP) by the time it hits the market and your customers.

Here are some questions to ask when launching a new product, quickly. Hint, the answer should be yes to all of these:

  • Does it fill the customer need?
  • Does it have the features needed for its intended purpose?
  • Is it intuitive and easy to use?
  • Is the product and messaging aligned with your brand?
  • Are the graphics and branding engaging and helpful?

Of course, an MUP will also need updates as users provide feedback. To continually improve your product and easily add features, build it on a platform that makes it easy for you to provide functionality and enhancements as they are needed.  

It’s critical to manage changes through an agile process that allows for quick iterating, testing, and feedback. This will help produce the best product, and cost you and your team the least amount of time and money

If you’re launching a new app or product and would like to discuss strategies to set the best direction, we’d love to talk.

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© 2020 All rights reserved, Design Mind Consulting, LLC

© 2020 All rights reserved, Design Mind Consulting, LLC