<p>Published on <a href="https://blog.prototypr.io/the-mvp-is-a-setup-for-failure-7cbf1d6d7047?source=rss----eb297ea1161a---4">| Prototyping: From UX to Front End &mdash; Medium</a> Plant </p>
<p>In the past six months of developing Plant we have acquired significant knowledge on the popular concept of a minimally viable product (MVP). Many believe that creating an MVP is the best way to launch a startup. This deceptive idea has become so fixed in the minds of many that they feel as if they should lock themselves in a room for a month, come out with a ready MVP, and success will follow. In reality, most products that take the MVP approach simply fall short, are hopeless and close shortly after launch.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*6XYi0insJqiiXfQswbPIrg@2x.png"></p>
<h3>What exactly is an MVP?</h3>
<p>An MVP is a product that is only sufficient in collecting data from users in order to obtain direction for further development. It is often used to obtain early the first users and feedback early on in the development. Unfortunately, many MVP’s are error-prone and thereby repel new users.</p>
<h3>When product is dead prior to development</h3>
<h4>No common vision</h4>
<p><em>Too focused on product and not the problem</em></p>
<p>One of the biggest mistakes many make is working on an MVP without prior analysis of the audience and its needs. Many developers enthusiastically make a product without objectively confirming that consumers truly need this product. If the startup is simply chasing features like virtual reality, or wants to “do it like uber”, or is striving to create “a social network of a new generation” then it is likely that the product will be of little interest due to the lack of a foundational idea. Founders of startups are truly mistaken when they feel that users will love their product because of a cool new feature they offer. One should not create an MVP without considering the problem it will solve for the user.</p>
<blockquote><p>Lytro cameras, which can change the depth of field after the photo is shot, are no longer sold. Buyers have not been able to incorporate them into their lives.</p></blockquote>
<p><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1020/1*NSJ0VuMCu-U7vGviKHEe9A.jpeg"><a href="https://www.theverge.com/2014/4/22/5625264/lytro-changed-photography-meet-the-new-illum-camera">Image source</a></p>
<h4>No preliminary market research</h4>
<p><em>The MVP has no use in the current market</em></p>
<p>Even if a startup has an interesting idea, the product is at risk for imminent failure if it undergoes development without a support from market research where there are a variety of products with a diverse audience. Learn in advance why consumers might specifically support your product as opposed to the product of your competitors on the market. You will save a lot of time and money if you realize early on that the MVP you had planned has nowhere to fit in the market.</p>
<blockquote><p>First HTC phone, adapted under Facebook, did not obtain popularity from buyers, despite the low price. Consumers did not want to buy a smartphone simply because it had applications from Facebook. Soon after the company had to inform customers on how they can disable the Facebook add-on.</p></blockquote>
<p><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/500/1*_bnhMUJ1YUrFCCXK9L_NIg.png"><a href="http://www.htc.com/us/smartphones/htc-first/">Image source</a></p>
<h4>Not a real MVP</h4>
<p><em>Due to the timing, quality suffers</em></p>
<p>To make a product in time for the deadline that has many mistakes is not the same as creating an MVP. This “lean startup” method is wildly popular when the founders feel that their product has something special for consumers, but end up releasing a non-functional MVP.</p>
<blockquote><p>Thanks to movies, a car from the 80’s- DeLorean DMC-12- is considered a legend. But in reality the car did not enter the mass market because of poor-quality assembly and engineering miscalculations, despite its creative design. Before closing, the company managed to sell only 8,000 cars.</p></blockquote>
<p><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*KZF5I5scKiu5TR7WdAA_AQ.jpeg"><a href="http://time.com/4180894/delorean-history/">Image source</a></p>
<h4>Too MVP</h4>
<p><em>Problem not solved</em></p>
<p>If you create a produce with superb quality, but one that lacks in features, there’s a chance that the problem the product set out to solve will remain until the very end. Would people really use a product that only partially meets their needs? Perhaps if the problem is minor or has a narrow audience, however, if the MVP lacks those few features, then the product is likely close to death at the very beginning.</p>
<blockquote><p>Google Glasses were recognized as the worst product of their time. A computer worth $1500, built into a pair of glasses, was just a prototype, not a finished product.</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>The market for smartwatches is very diverse now, but the watch has not yet become as popular as smartphones because of its meager functionality and short battery life.</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>Even Apple produces products that users leave on the sidelines. Siri first appeared on the iPhone 4s, but Siri’s performance remains quite poor and inconsistent</p></blockquote>
<h3>The Perfect MVP</h3>
<p>If your product is built on an excellent idea, is well poised for the current market, and provides the minimum functionality that is necessary for the user, then this is an ideal epicenter for profit. Then you must accept and study the feedback and revise the product.</p>
<p>The development of the first version of <a href="https://goo.gl/uUjHxP">Plant</a> was exciting. We were at the beginning of our journey and listened attentively to users’ desires and changes in the market for design tools. Now we have made Plant so that you enjoy it even more.</p>
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<p><a href="https://blog.prototypr.io/the-mvp-is-a-setup-for-failure-7cbf1d6d7047">The MVP is a setup for failure</a> was originally published in <a href="https://blog.prototypr.io">Prototypr</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.</p>


The MVP is a setup for failure

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