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What is an MVP

Full name: Minimum Viable Product

Definition

An MVP (minimum viable product) is the smallest version of a product real customers can use, built to learn whether they want it before you build all of it.

Why it matters

An MVP stops a business from spending money and months on features customers do not want.

Common mistakes

Spending months polishing a product before a single customer has used it.

Related terms

Worked exampleIllustration

A concierge MVP before any code

Illustrative numbers: a fictional clinic booking app, no real business.

  1. The test

    Instead of building the app, the founders run the service by hand for four weeks: a shared calendar plus reminders they send themselves on WhatsApp, for 10 home physiotherapists.

    10 start

  2. Week 4

    6 of the 10 still use it.

    6 ÷ 10 = 60%

  3. Money

    3 agree to pay ₪150 a month once the software is ready.

    3 paying

  4. Cost

    The test costs a calendar tool, ads and the founders' evenings, against about ₪120,000 to build the software first.

    ₪1,800

Three paying users from ₪1,800 of learning, and a hint that solo therapists are not the right customer.

Illustration

Building an MVP the right way

How not to build an MVP

How to build an MVP

Drawing after Henrik Kniberg, 2016.

At every step there is something people can actually use and give feedback on, not parts waiting to be assembled.

The concierge test in numbers

  1. Home physiotherapists who started10

  2. Still using it at week 46 ÷ 10 = 60%

  3. Agree to pay ₪150 a month3

Four weeks by hand, before any code. Building the software first would have cost about ₪120,000.

Definition

A minimum viable product is the smallest version of a new product that real customers can use, built to test with the least effort whether they want it. Frank Robinson of SyncDev coined the term in 2001 for the right sized product: big enough to cause adoption and sales, small enough not to be bloated and risky. Eric Ries made it popular in The Lean Startup (2011) as a tool for learning from real customers. An MVP can be software, but it can also be a landing page, a service run by hand or a spreadsheet.

Why it matters

It turns an opinion into a measurement: who used it, who came back, who paid. The drawing of a skateboard, a scooter, a bike and a car comes from Henrik Kniberg's 2016 post: every stage can be used, so every stage teaches something, while a single wheel teaches nothing. Kniberg himself prefers "earliest testable, usable, lovable product": customers want early rather than minimum, and "viable" means different things to different people.

Directly related: Pivot, Traction, Vanity metrics.

Improvement tips

  • Test one clear value proposition, not a list of features.
  • Try a landing page or a service run by hand before writing code.
  • Decide in advance what result would make you change the audience or the offer.
  • Measure behaviour, use, return and payment, not compliments.

Common mistakes

  • Confusing an MVP with a proof of concept. A proof of concept tests whether something can be built, an MVP tests whether customers want it.
  • Not deciding in advance what you will measure and what counts as success.
  • Ignoring weak results instead of changing the audience, the offer or the product.
MVP vs Prototype

Related terms

StartupsIntermediate

Pivot

A pivot is a planned change of direction: a business changes one part of its model, such as the customer or the product, when evidence shows the plan fails.

StartupsBeginner

Traction

Traction is evidence in numbers that real customers keep paying for or using a product, not just likes, followers or visits to a website.

MarketingBeginner

Vanity metrics

Vanity metrics are numbers that look impressive, like followers, views or total sign ups, but do not tell you what to do next or whether sales are growing.

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Quick check

What is the main purpose of a minimum viable product?

Choose an answer

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to build an MVP before I start my business?
It is the cheapest way to check whether real customers will use and pay for your solution before you spend your savings on a full product.
When should I start building my minimum viable product?
After you have talked to potential customers and confirmed a real, painful problem. The interviews test the problem, the MVP tests your solution.
Can I use a landing page as an MVP instead of building software?
Yes. A page that describes the offer and asks for a sign up or a deposit measures interest before anything is built.
How do I decide which features to include in my startup's MVP?
Only what is needed to solve the core problem for one target customer. Every extra feature delays the launch and blurs the feedback.
What is the difference between an MVP and a prototype?
A prototype shows how a product could look or work, usually to the team or a few testers. An MVP goes to real customers to see whether they use it and pay for it.
Why does the MVP concept matter if my business is already running?
A new product line or service can be tested as an MVP with a small group of customers, which protects the cash flow of the business you already run.
How do I build a new MVP without distracting my team from day-to-day work?
Give the test to a small team or run it as a separate project with a fixed budget and an end date. Manual work and no code tools keep it light.
What should I do if my MVP gets very low customer response?
Check whether the problem is the product, the audience or the message. Test the same offer on another group of customers before you drop the idea.
How do I turn my MVP into a fully polished product?
Add features when users ask for them again and again and show they will pay, based on usage data rather than opinion.
What does MVP actually mean in plain language?
The simplest version of your product you can put in front of customers, to test the business idea without spending much time or money.
Is building an MVP risky if it is not perfect?
Less risky than building for months in the dark. Early customers forgive rough edges when the product solves a real, urgent problem for them.
Do I need a professional developer to build an MVP?
Not always. Many MVPs run on a website builder, online forms, or a spreadsheet and manual work. The goal is to test the business logic, not the engineering.

Sources: SKMurphy, "Frank Robinson's Minimum Viable Product Definition", 2017 (skmurphy.com), Eric Ries, The Lean Startup (2011), Henrik Kniberg, "Making sense of MVP (Minimum Viable Product), and why I prefer Earliest Testable/Usable/Lovable", Crisp's Blog, 25 January 2016 (blog.crisp.se)

Last reviewed: 2026-09-24

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Anna, Beautician

Anna

Beautician

After I finished a cosmetology course at a leading company, I was confused. I didn't know how to open a business, what to sell from home, or how to bring in clients. Since I reached out to Mobius, everything has changed. We built an organized plan with clear steps and no unnecessary risks. Today I see results, and I'm growing and developing every month.

Mark, Massage therapist, Gan Yavne

Mark

Massage therapist, Gan Yavne

When I finished a massage course, I imagined a different world. I found out it's a hard field, and financial stability isn't easy to find. When I came to Mobius, something changed. We started an organized process and built a business plan. Without Mobius? I probably would have given up. Today I believe in myself and in my own path.

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