Archives for 2014

Much like the MVP, a prototype is a critical, yet separate part of the product management process.

The purpose of the MVP is to validate (or invalidate) your product’s value proposition, product market fit and to gain critical customer feedback. An MVP will attempt to answer this question: Is there a market (and customers) for my product?

According to Wikipedia, the definition of a protoype is:” an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from. “

A prototype is meant to be built rapidly to validate the viability of a SOLUTION. The focus of a prototype is more visual and usually not meant for the public eye.

After whiteboarding, one of my favorite tools for building a protoype is Justinmind. Justinmind’s big plus is that it can be downloaded to your computer instead of being used in a browser, which allows you to work offline. The application lets you design everything from websites to advanced administration panel interfaces. You can use items from UI libraries and create Master Pages (templates known to Indesign users). A huge plus is the ability to download add-ons in form of ready-made modules, including bootstrap elements. Mobile prototypes can be shared with our team members and be tested on any smartphone.

Here’s a demo video of me creating a protoype:

Perhaps you’re already familiar with Steve Blank’s definition of an MVP:

“A [MVP] is a concise summary of the smaller group of features that allow a product to work autonomously while solving at least the problem it is addressing and demonstrating the value of the product. (Steve Blank)”

Another perspective on this definition could be:

An MVP allows early adopters to have a full experience through your product.

Simple right?

A picture describing how Spotify builds products has been lately making rounds:

Instead of a wheel (incomplete MVP), think about something that will provide customers with a complete experience to move from point A to point B faster than walking. A “skateboard” could be a very simple solution although its use a lot of energy, but it’s a complete experience and it can get your user from A to B faster then walking. Ofcourse it’s cheaper than a car

The idea is to learn as much as possible with minimum effort. The point of an MVP is validation and finding product/market-fit.