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When’s the last time you thought of an amazing new idea for a mobile app or software program? If you’re like everyone else, you immediately started to research how much it costs and how long it would take to build one. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there and were all met with the same disappointment.
What if we were to tell you not all mobile apps and software programs need to be expensive – at least not in the beginning stages when you’re trying to figure out whether it’s worth the trouble or not? Well, we have good news for you because that’s 100% the case with the right MVP developers for a startup.
With MVP development, you don’t need to break the bank with your new idea for an innovative app or software program. Better yet, you can find deep success with an MVP solution when you team up with a developer that has experience building these types of apps and software programs.
So, what is MVP development?
MVP, also known as a minimum viable product, development is a concept that allows you to build a functioning mobile app or software program for your customers with the least amount of effort, time, and cost. It’s ideal for startups and businesses that aren’t 100% certain about their idea.
With an MVP app or software program, you break down the product’s features into two different categories – the main features and the secondary features. The main features are what you center your focus on and release to users. The secondary features are saved for a later update.
This gives you a chance to release your app much faster, since you aren’t wasting time on features that your users don’t necessarily need right away. As you receive feedback on the MVP, you update the app or software program and eventually phase in the secondary features.
History of Minimum Viable Products
The entire concept behind a minimum viable product was introduced and coined back in 2001 – over 20 years ago – by a man named Frank Robinson. The co-founder and president of SyncDev, Robinson was aware of the growing need for a more efficient development process.
SyncDev, which essentially means ‘synchronous customer and product development,’ is a way of understanding the customer’s needs and wants before bringing forth a finished product. As we learned above, this is the basis for everything a minimum viable product stands for.
Once Frank Robinson coined the term minimum viable product, it quickly became a popular, innovative, and revolutionary concept for development. Steve Blank (customer discovery) and Eric Reis (lean startup) were two of the other pioneers behind this concept after Robinson.
Today, it’s a concept that’s used by most MVP developers for a startup in the app and software program space – including here at CodeBright. It’s an effective way to give your users the best possible product without having to manage a wide amount of waste in the process – which benefits everyone.
Benefits of Building an MVP for Your Startup
An MVP is essentially a scaled-back, less-extensive version of the app or software program you eventually hope to offer users. It has just enough features to satisfy the user, but not enough features that you end up spending large amounts of money, time, and effort from the get-go.
If this is something your startup is interested in, here are some of the benefits you’ll be receiving by going the MVP route:
- An MVP focuses on core functionalities of your app or software program, allowing you to focus on the initial problem you aim to solve for users.
- MVPs allow for better clarity and vision when building an app or software program.
- With a minimum viable product, you build and maintain an early relationship with the user, helping you better understand their needs.
- An MVP is less-cluttered and allows for a clean, clear, and easy-to-use interface.
- MVPs allow for a faster time-to-market, lower cost, and a minimum amount of effort in the beginning stages.
- A minimum viable product comes with little risk, especially if the app or software program doesn’t work out as intended.
- An MVP gives you a chance to test your idea on the market to confirm or validate interest.
- MVPs are an excellent way to gain stakeholders or early investments.
The great thing about an MVP app or software program is that you’re not doing away with all the secondary features for good. Instead, you’re saving them for a later release or update. In the off-chance those secondary features aren’t what the customer needs or wants, you wouldn’t have wasted your time.
The Process for Building an MVP App
While building an MVP app or software program is a much faster way of bringing your idea to market, it’s still a process that needs to be done correctly – especially if you want it to succeed. It’s a minimum-effort concept, but that doesn’t mean it’s a no-effort concept, by any means.
To ensure you’re steadily prepared for the process that awaits, let’s take a quick look at each step of the process and what they entail:
- Market Research – before you even start thinking about building an MVP app, you should have a solid understanding of the current market and the customer’s wants or needs.
- Core Features – write down all the features you’d like in your app, then split them up into the core features and the secondary features. You’re only focused on the core features.
- Design Elements – as you start to uncover what the app is going to do, start putting together a design plan to make it unique, eye-catching, and appealing to the end user.
- Development – now that you know the core features and the design of the app, it’s time to start developing the MVP app. This is where your app is officially born into reality.
- Quality Assurance – before you can release an MVP app for your startup, you must ensure it’s free of any bugs, errors, typos, crashes, and other imperfections.
- MVP Release – the moment you’ve been waiting for, this is where you get to market and release your MVP app to its users. They can now download, install, and begin using it.
- Updates – since you’ve released a scaled-back version of your bigger idea, you’ll need to release updates as you learn what’s right and wrong about the MVP app.
As you roll out updates to your MVP app or software program, it’s very important that you listen to the users’ feedback. Once the MVP is built, you should always let the users guide and direct you to the next step. After all, it’s their app and they deserve to have it built their way.
Questions to Ask Your Potential MVP Developers for a Startup
Having a pristine idea for a new app or software program that users can get behind is essential to the success of your idea. Of course, most people don’t have the skills, knowledge, means, or wherewithal to develop a minimum viable product app by themselves – at no fault of their own.
That’s where your MVP developers for a Startup comes in to play a major role. They’re the ones that are able to take your idea and make it reality. They do a majority of the work behind the scenes and are the real MVPs of your MVP. That’s why you need a quality, experienced, and passionate one.
To ensure you’re matched with the right MVP developers for your startup, here are some of the most prominent questions to ask your potential MVP developers for a Startup:
- Do you have any examples and testimonials of past MVPs you’ve created?
- Have you ever built an MVP app or software program in my niche or industry?
- Are you aware of what I’m looking to accomplish with this MVP app?
- Are you willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement?
- How well do you communicate throughout the process and will I receive frequent updates of progress?
- Do you incorporate UI/IX design in the MVP apps that you develop?
- How long will it take to develop and how much will my MVP app cost?
- How many developers will be working on my MVP app and will they be working on other projects at the same time?
- Do you properly test the MVP app for quality assurance before releasing it to users?
- Are you willing to stay with me as we make updates to the MVP app?
- Will I have ownership rights of the MVP app once it’s officially launched?
There’s nothing wrong with being diligent, especially since this is an MVP app that means so much to you. Asking questions is one of the biggest leverages you have when searching for the right MVP developers for a Startup for your idea. Take advantage of it and don’t be afraid to ask anything.
At CodeBright, we take every client’s needs into consideration before we start working with them. That’s why so many startups – just like you – have trusted us with the development of their MVP. If you’re interested in learning more about our service, we’re ready and available!
Contact us today to receive a free quote for your project or to get started with the MVP development process. We can’t wait to help you bring your idea to reality once and for all!