Building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) on a Shoestring
Tags: startup, design
Published: 2019-12-06 02:57:05

# Introduction
When you are creating a startup, it starts with an **idea** and as you plough along. 

Going through either your [Business Model Canvas][1], [Lean Startup][2] and [Jobs to Be Done][3]. It will result in a draft version of MVP.

To be honest, it is [expensive][4] to create an MVP.

The money could be used for **testing out** the idea and gaining **traction** for it.

# What is a Minimal Viable Product (MVP)?
A Minimal Viable Product or MVP is a presentable **prototype** that is used to **learn** and **crystallise** your idea to potential users or investors to gather feedback and improve upon it.

Usually in this stage, the **focus** is on **learning** the potential pitfalls or **improvements** or even **pivoting** to another product or service to address the problem that you had founded.

# Types of MVPs
Depending on the number of resources that you have.

I would suggest you to focus on developing multiple MVPs before dedicating significant resources to create your **finalised presentable** MVP. 

Which is used for **pitching** to a potential investor for your startup.

## Build It on Paper
As the name suggested a [paper prototype][5] is one of the most simple prototypes a person could learn to create with stacks of papers, ruler and pen.

There are a few downloadable templates like [UI Stencils][6], [Snakpeekit][7] or from [Broad of Innovation][8]. 

## Digital Design
Despite requiring slightly more **time** and **steeper** learning curve to create. 

The advantage of this approach is that if it is a digital product say a website, a mobile app is your end result.  

It will be presentable remotely and allow a person to experience how it is like on a **website** or a **mobile app**.

Tools like [Figma][9], [Adobe Xd][10], [Canva][11], [Balsamiq][12] or [Invision Studio][13] are the types of tools I would consider. 

# Justifying the Cost
If you did not notice the tools or types of MVPs requires some time from your end to learn about the tools used to create your own MVP.

This is a very **important** process, it's worth the effort to understand as it helps you to generate the **project requirements**, **design** and **workflow** for your finalised MVP. 

You enjoy a **clearer picture**, **lower cost**, **easier time** in working with developers or designers who are building your finalised version of your MVP. 

You could conduct feedback sessions with potential investors or users of your product or service without **dependency** on the developer or designers to build it for you. 

# Conclusion
I hope that you would **not skip** the building process of your initial MVP and engage a developer or designer to build an MVP for you.

As without it time & effort will be wasted in engaging a developer and designer to create your finalised MVP.


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This post was originally posted on Max's blog at [Building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) on a Shoestring - Reading Time: 2 Mins]() and [Photo by UX Store on Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/ukeUH3KbMWU)

# References
* [Business Model Canvas][1]
* [Lean Startup][2] 
* [Jobs to Be Done][3]
* [How Much Does It Cost to Build an MVP][4]
* [paper prototype][5] 
* [UI Stencils][6]
* [Snakpeekit][7] 
* [Broad of Innovation][8]
* [Figma][9]
* [Adobe Xd][10]
* [Canva][11]
* [Balsamiq][12] 
* [Invision Studio][13]


[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Model_Canvas
[2]: https://fourweekmba.com/lean-startup-canvas/
[3]: https://youtu.be/Q63PZR7mG70
[4]: https://stormotion.io/blog/how-much-does-it-cost-to-build-an-mvp/
[5]: https://www.uxpin.com/studio/blog/paper-prototyping-the-practical-beginners-guide/
[6]: https://www.uistencils.com/
[7]: https://sneakpeekit.com/
[8]: https://www.boardofinnovation.com/staff_picks/favorite-prototyping-tools/
[9]: https://www.figma.com/
[10]: https://www.adobe.com/products/xd.html
[11]: https://www.canva.com/
[12]: https://balsamiq.com/
[13]: https://www.invisionapp.com/studio