Minimum Viable Product (MVP): Meaning and Examples
A minimum viable product (MVP) is the simplest version of a product that delivers its core value to real users, so you can learn whether they want it with the least time and money. It is a learning tool, not a smaller copy of the final product.
By Javier Alonso, Founder & CEO. Updated .
Where the term comes from
The term was popularised by Eric Ries in the Lean Startup method, which describes a loop of build, measure and learn. The MVP is the version of the product that lets a team start that loop with the least effort. "Viable" matters: the product has to deliver enough real value that users' behavior tells you something.
Types of MVP
An MVP does not have to be software:
- Landing page or waitlist: describes the outcome and measures signups. Tests demand. See waitlist or MVP.
- Concierge MVP: you deliver the service by hand to a few customers. Tests whether the outcome is valuable.
- Wizard of Oz MVP: users see what looks like a working product while people do the work behind the scenes. Tests the experience before automating it.
- Single-feature MVP: software that does one job well. Tests usage and retention.
- Clickable demo or prototype: shows the experience without a working back end. Tests understanding and appeal.
MVP vs prototype vs beta
- A prototype shows how something might work. It is for testing ideas and usability, often internally.
- An MVP is used by real customers to deliver real value, so you can measure behavior.
- A beta is a fuller product being tested for quality before a wider release.
The key difference is that an MVP is meant to produce evidence about demand or retention, not just feedback on design.
Examples
- A founder testing a meal-kit idea for people with food allergies takes orders through a simple form and assembles the first 30 boxes herself. That is a concierge MVP.
- A team building an expense tool launches with one feature: photograph a receipt and get it categorised. No approvals, no integrations, no reports. That is a single-feature MVP.
- A recruiting startup matches candidates by hand while clients see a polished dashboard. That is a Wizard of Oz MVP.
Common mistakes
- Building too much. If the first version takes six months, it is not minimal. See MVP feature prioritization.
- Building too little to be viable. If it does not deliver the core outcome, users' silence tells you nothing.
- No success metric. Decide before launch what result would mean continue, change or stop.
- Skipping validation. An MVP is the second test, not the first. Talk to customers before you build.
For your role
- Founders
- Write down the one question your MVP must answer before you scope it. Every feature should help answer that question.
- Investors
- Ask what the MVP was designed to prove and what the result was. It reveals how a team learns.
- Accelerators & incubators
- Asking each team for the question their MVP answers, and its success metric, keeps build work tied to evidence.
Primary sources
- Principles — The Lean Startup
- Practical Design: MVP Spec — Y Combinator
Common questions
- What does MVP stand for in startups?
- MVP stands for minimum viable product: the simplest version of a product that delivers its core value so you can learn from real users.
- What is an example of an MVP?
- A landing page that takes pre-orders, a service delivered by hand to the first customers, or an app with only its single most important feature are all MVPs.
- How long should it take to build an MVP?
- Usually weeks rather than months. If the plan takes longer, cut scope or test the riskiest assumption with a simpler MVP type first.
- Is an MVP the same as a prototype?
- No. A prototype shows how something might work. An MVP is used by real customers so you can measure whether they want it.
Put it into practice
MVP Scope helps you cut a feature list down to the version that answers your riskiest question.