MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

The MVP approach helps founders avoid months building features nobody wants. Instead of guessing what users need, you ship quickly and learn from real usage. A true MVP isn't a demo or prototype. It's a real product that delivers value, even if limited. Dropbox's MVP was a 3-minute video showing the concept. Buffer's MVP was a two-page landing page with pricing before the product existed. Both validated demand before writing code. Common MVP mistakes: (1) Adding too many features because 'users will expect them', (2) Confusing MVP with bad UX—simple doesn't mean broken, (3) Never iterating beyond the MVP, treating it as the final product instead of the starting point. How to scope your MVP: Identify your riskiest assumption (usually 'will people pay for this?'), then build the absolute minimum to test that assumption. If your assumption is wrong, you've lost weeks instead of months. MVP is a strategy for learning, not a development phase. Once you've validated product-market fit, you graduate from MVP thinking to growth mode.

Instagram's MVP had only photo filters and sharing—no video, stories, or DMs. That simplicity let them focus on making photo sharing amazing before adding complexity.