- Learn what a minimum viable product is and why it is important
- Choose the most important features of your project to build first
These are the activities for this lesson:
MVP
Now that you have an idea for your project and a problem statement, you might want to start building right away. But hold on! You can save a lot of time by planning.
Your project should be a minimum viable product. A minimum viable product (MVP) is a product, in this case your app, that has just enough features to get the job done and can be tested with users so that improvements can be made later.
It is better to create a prototype that does one or two things really well, than to try to create something that can do everything.
Here is an example. Imagine your friend tells you that she always wakes up late and is late to school. You create an app for her that has a bunch of cool features.
Start simple! You don’t need to build everything right away!
PRIORITIZE
Creating a solution that does just one or two things really well will help you solve your problem and create something that your users like.
You only have a few weeks to make your project for Technovation Girls, so it is important to use that time wisely. You need to prioritize different features of your project, which means to order them from most important to least important.
Then, work on the most important features first. Get them working really well, and, if you have time, add more features. These will be your future features.
WHICH FEATURES ARE MOST IMPORTANT?
You might have a long list of features you want your app to do.
Start by listing all the features you want in your app.
Which of these features really solves the problem?
Which features were requested by our users?
- Review your problem statement from Unit 2.
- Review your user research from Unit 3.
- Ask your target audience to weigh in.
Mentor Tip
Best practices: The best way to think about Minimum Viable Product: imagine you want to build a new type of toy. Instead of making the whole toy with all its features, you first make a basic version to test if kids like it. This basic version is called the Minimum Viable Product. It helps you see if your idea is good before you spend a lot of time and money making a lot of toys.
Your teams should pick 1-2 defining features of their solution plus the basic components that make it a functional app. Those things together make up their MVP. Here is another video explaining the concept of MVP.
Tip for coding: the first feature they build should be one of the features from their MVP!
Guiding Questions to ask students:
What is the Minimum Viable Product, and why do you think it’s important to create one before making a complete product?
Can you think of a product that started with just a basic version? How did that help the creators?
How would making a simple version of your project first help you learn more about what people want?
What features make your solution stand out from competitors and will make people want to use your project?
Mentor tips are provided by support from AmeriCorps.
ACTIVITY: PLAN YOUR MVP
Prioritize your app features
- Brainstorm a list of features for your project.
- Break down big ideas to smaller features.
- Prioritize those features to focus on first 2-3 for your project.
REFLECTION
Your MVP is just your first prototype.
You can always iterate on it to make it better, even after the Technovation Girls season is over!
REVIEW OF KEY TERMS
- Prioritizing – figuring out what the most important parts of your product are, and working on those first
- Minimum Viable Product (MVP) – a product that has just enough features to get the job done and test with users so that improvements can be made later
- Future Features – features that may be added once the first prototype of your product is finished
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Want more information about MVPs? Check out this great article from adc Calculator!
And learn how past Technovation participants Meghana and Saanvi decided on their MVP for their project in the video below. (3 minute clip of longer video)
