Rapid Prototyping & MVPs

An MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is not a buggy, low-quality version of your final product. It is the **smallest experiment you can run to validate a critical assumption**.

Types of Lean MVPs

1. The Landing Page Test (Smoke Test)

Create a simple landing page describing your value proposition, including screenshots or mockups and a "Buy Now" or "Get Early Access" button. Measure the percentage of visitors who click the button and input their email. This tests demand before a single line of backend code is written.

2. The Wizard of Oz MVP

To the user, the product looks fully automated and functional. However, behind the scenes, all the work is done manually by humans (you).
Example: Zappos started by taking photos of shoes in local stores, posting them online, and buying them at full price from the store to ship manually when someone ordered.

3. The Concierge MVP

You don't hide the manual work. You offer the service directly to the customer as a high-touch, customized consulting service. You work side-by-side with them to solve their problem, learning their workflow inside out before automation.
Example: Food on the Table started by having the founder plan menus and grocery shop manually for their first customers, iterating weekly.

Prototype Fidelity

• Low-fidelity (Sketches, Wireframes): Use to test concepts and navigation flows. Fast to change, encourages users to focus on the structure rather than visuals.
• High-fidelity (Figma prototypes): Use to test usability and micro-interactions. Looks real enough that users behave naturally.