A Guide On MVP Development For Chat Apps!
Tags: webdev, flutter, mvp, chat
Published: 2023-12-15 13:58:21

_"Building an MVP for chat apps is known to offer exceptional benefits for developers, businesses, and entrepreneurs. Find a lot more about it in this guide."_

Name a place where you may not see competition. It's difficult to recollect ain't it? Because, everywhere you turn around, there are a lot of fiery battles between businesses. 

In such a case, your focus ought to be on reducing the project's development time.

So what should you do as a developer? Simply build an MVP solution for your [chat application](https://www.contus.com/blog/how-to-build-a-chat-system-in-five-mins/) or any project that you are coding into. 

That way, you will have a working version of how your software will look thereby helping you to pitch in investors.

What else does MVP offer? Why should we need one? Are there any components of it? We'll answer all these queries in the section below.

## What does MVP mean to developers?

MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is a methodology that developers adopt to release a basic version of a project they are developing with minimal features to check its functionality and errors. 

Plus, it helps to collect feedback from end users that can be implemented in the apps. 

This way, the product reaches the market quickly thereby reducing the number of iterations during project completion.

Editor's Tip: Did you know that over 90% of startups fail without active MVPs? The reasons are primarily because of unfriendly UI, and improper capture of user requirements. 

## What is the importance of an MVP?

MVPs are hand-friendly whenever a new product or a feature is on the roadmap. Because it will include the smallest feature suite that will go for customer review before planning for the next few.

Users upon review will give their feedback and developers can iterate if there is an error and will again follow the development cycle.

So, MVPs are risk-mitigating aspects that help businesses to reduce their development time and cost of building a wrong end product. 

Further, we will see a few reasons why businesses need to adopt this methodology:

1. Gather frequent feedback on product development.
2. Save plenty of time and resources by launching initial codes.
3. Businesses can save budget without having to spend extra when developing a wrong product.
4. Find investors at an early stage without having to wait for product completion.

and more!

Now, we will see the different businesses that have successfully implemented this MVP technology.

## Businesses That Used MVP For Their Projects

You'll be hell-shocked to find out that top-tier companies like Uber, Buffer, and Instagram have all used MVP to launch a successful end product. 

With these, there are other brands too who have experimented with MVPs, and they are:

## 1. Airbnb

The prime reason for making themselves a hit in the tourism industry is the use of MVP by not adding any extra features. This input was given to them by travelers who had booked apartments for overnight stays.

As the firm was initially into renting out apartments for accomodation at best rates.

## 2. Instagram

Insta's simple MVP was to bring to market a simplistic photo-capturing and sharing platform, which later was widely accepted by users and became a very successful video-sharing platform.

With these, other MVPs like adding a few filters, and launching for the [iOS platform](https://www.mirrorfly.com/self-hosted-chat-solution.php
), all help to build a budget-friendly product.

## 3. Uber

Thanks to this app development it became a hit in the market when it was launched. Because, back then, there were no cabs and we had to wait very long to rent out taxis.

So, Uber's turning point was their MVP which was launched to test a single feature- the use of GPS to share location with taxi drivers and pick up customers.

This turned out to be successful and the saga continued.

## 4. Buffer

Buffer is a social media platform that looks into account scheduling and management processes. Initially, it was started as a two-page site with very few elements.

It was given to users for testing and post-learning that their lean methodology worked well, and they started building across different platforms and devices.

## 5. Dropbox

Now known to be a popular cloud storage platform, earlier faced a lot of technical and financial issues that made the company go haywire. 

As none were able to figure out the solution to their problem. It was at that time, that Dree Huston, created a video MVP and explained the idea that made it to the top now. 

Therefore, it's evident that an MVP yields positive results irrespective of any product domain or genre. 

So, it is time we see a tangible example of how MVP can be used in chat app development.

## MVP For In-app Chat Development

Here in the section below, let us see how to build an MVP for in-app messaging apps. For it, add all the basic features of any chat app and then send it for iteration,

Pro tip: If you are planning to build cross-platform chat apps but are clueless as to how they will perform, then try MVP development for the Flutter framework first, then try React Native. 

1. Text-based chats: It is a simple feature that involves nothing but some real-stuff messaging.

2. Voice chats: Sending voice messages instead of normal text.

3. Video calls or chats: Face-to-face interactions always have a higher selling point than real-time chats.

4. Group calling: Creating groups and doing a conference call can elevate engagement levels.

5. Presence indicators: These days every user would want to know whether their peer is available or offline.

6. Stickers: Make conversation fun-filled and exciting by adding emojis and stickers.

7. Push notifications: This MVP is essential to notify users upon message or call reception.

8. Media attachments: Always a picture depicts information quicker than any chat. So, try adding this attribute.

9. Real-time translation: These days, businesses just don't operate from their homes, but across borders. So, having this feature can help users from different geographies to communicate.

10. Whiteboards: You need a tool for effective collaboration and there is nothing better than whiteboards.

11. Voice notes: Be it voice or video notes, you can feel a sense of closeness to the person speaking.

12. Delete messages: You cannot build an app without a delete option.

So, there you have the list of MVPs while creating in-app chats. Try these and leave us a comment on how efficiently it made your business call. 


## Wrapping Up!

Congo buddies, you have learned the importance of minimal viable products through this blog post. 

With the strategy ready in hand, you can build MVPs for any type of solution, be it to build live chat apps, or dating apps, or healthcare solutions, a small set of feature development can do wonders than spending more time on the whole completion. 

What are you waiting for? Simply create an account with MirrorFly and start finalizing your MVPs for chat app development. As this particular in-app communication API provider has the best suite of features in town.