MVP Development: What It Is and How to Build One Right
The goal of an MVP is not to build a cheap version of your full product. It's to answer a specific question with as little code as possible.
What Most People Get Wrong
Wrong: Build everything on the roadmap but with lower quality.
Right: Identify the single riskiest assumption and build only what tests it.
If you're building a food delivery app, the riskiest assumption isn't whether you can build it - it's whether restaurants will onboard and whether users will pay. You can test that with a spreadsheet and a WhatsApp group before writing a line of code.
The 3-Question MVP Framework
Before scoping, answer these:
What is the ONE assumption this MVP needs to validate?
(Not five assumptions. One.)What is the minimum interaction a user needs to have to validate it?
(Often much less than you think)What does success look like in numbers?
(X users, Y conversions, Z revenue - not "people seemed to like it")
MVP Scopes by Type
SaaS MVP: Authentication, core feature, basic billing. 6-10 weeks, $5,000-15,000.
Marketplace MVP: Buyer side, seller side, basic transaction. 8-14 weeks, $10,000-25,000.
Mobile app MVP: Onboarding + core loop + basic backend. 6-10 weeks, $5,000-12,000.
AI product MVP: Core prompt engineering + UI + basic user management. 3-6 weeks, $3,000-8,000.
What to Cut Without Guilt
- Admin dashboard (use your database directly at first)
- Email notifications (use manual Telegram messages)
- Multiple payment methods (pick one)
- Localization (launch in one language)
- Analytics beyond basic events (Google Analytics + a few custom events)
Tech Stack for Speed
Next.js + Node.js + PostgreSQL (or MongoDB if schema is truly fluid) + Vercel or a single VPS. This lets one developer move fast. Don't introduce microservices, Kubernetes, or message queues into an MVP - you're optimizing for learning, not scale.
The Most Important MVP Decision
Choose a tech stack you can iterate on, not one that looks impressive on a pitch deck. The codebase will be thrown away or heavily refactored after you learn from users. That's normal and correct.
Talk to us about scoping your MVP →
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