prototypes vs MVPs

We've all heard from entrepreneurs, stakeholders, and literature such as 'The Lean Startup' about the need of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

But where does a prototype and MVP actually begin or end?

For MVPs, we only develop specific functionalities that a customer segment perceives as valuable.

Features that represent the broad base of what your customer segment would be willing to take out their wallets for.

And stripping back all the excess.

But how would you determine this minimal set-list anyway? 

That's where rapid prototyping comes in. 

Low-code or no-code 'dumb' solutions that test the overall premise of your proposition with the target customer segment, while keeping cost-effective.

The trick is to keep yourself at this prototype stage for as long as you can before starting to build an actual MVP. Because coding to build an MVP takes a lot more effort and resources, while also being a lot more costly to correct. 

So you want to have more certainty on what your customer is actually willing to pay for, before you commit the resources to build your MVP.

Of course there are exceptions to this, but the need to stay cost-effective and lean clearly remains. 

Especially in this macro-economic climate.

How are you navigating your prototyping and MVP process?
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​𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐑𝐒𝐒 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝!

​𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 @ 𝐄𝐄 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥