A complete guide to creating an MVP for a mobile app. Things to consider and main stages to build an MVP.
If you are viewing this article, you are probably curious whether MVP app development is the right approach for you. With more and more startups looking to enter the market, the interest in creating a minimum viable product has increased. Mobile app development is a complex process that requires attention to detail.
We won’t say that MVP is the only way that guarantees saving costs and optimizing the process. Still, it is a powerful concept with numerous advantages for both your business and future solutions.
In this article, we will dive into the specifics and main stages of the MVP development process and give you tips on finding the right tech company.
What Is A Minimum Viable Product?
Let’s clarify the basics first. A minimum viable product is a popular app development approach. It implies creating a basic version of a future mobile app, getting feedback from early users, and building the complete solution according to it. Many giants like Amazon and Instagram started with this concept.
If you are inspired by their successful examples and want to build an MVP, keep reading to troubleshoot common problems.
Why Invest In MVP Development In 2021?
According to recent stats, lack of market demand and negative user experience are the main reasons new ideas fail. Here is how MVP app development can help enhance your mobile app.
Reducing Development Budget
This is not the primary aim of the MVP concept. Saving costs is more of an added benefit for businesses. The bigger reason is to minimize development risks and spending money on the most impactful and helpful features first. If you want to know how much it costs to build an MVP, it depends on the features. On average, the cost varies from $18,000 to $30,000.
Idea Validation
Having an excellent idea for a mobile app doesn’t equal success in the market. Apart from it, numerous factors can influence whether users will have enough interest in your concept, helping you avoid failure.
Receiving Early Feedback
The earlier your product contacts the audience, the more beneficial it is. Checking the product-market fit is necessary to provide a seamless user experience. This way, you can adjust your products to the latest tendencies and requirements.
Predictable Performance
Apart from the considerable benefits we mentioned above, you have a deeper insight into your product. When you build an MVP app, you clarify all the essential aspects of your solution. You know what your product does and how users are going to interact with it.
Building An MVP For A Mobile App: 5 Key Stages
1. Specify the Business Needs
Before you consider adopting an MVP approach, you need to define the problem your mobile app is going to address. Think of the objectives and metrics you are going to use to measure it. If the app aims to sell, think of conversion rates and factors that influence user choice.
2. Analyzing Target Audience
When you realize your idea, it’s time to think about who your mobile app targets. Analyze their desires, requirements, and factors that influence them most. A thorough analysis of your users in advance saves you from numerous mistakes during development.
3. Outline User Paths
Map out the main phases of user interaction with your mobile solution. These virtual journeys will end with solving their problems. Pay attention to every single stage and think about whether to include all of them in your MVP. It will help define essential functionality and develop a positive user experience.
4. Choosing the Minimum Features
Based on the main interaction stages you defined before, you need to list the functionality. A mobile app with complex functionality is more expensive and time-consuming to build. MVP concentrates on the main features and significantly saves your resources. An MVP with redundant features is a common mistake.
5. Receive and Evaluate User Feedback
This is the essence of the MVP approach. A thorough analysis of user reviews is the most crucial part. Be ready for several iterations and changes in your product. When you choose an IT company to create your custom app, pay attention to the quality of testing services.
Things To Consider When You Make An MVP App
Choose the Right Development Company
Partnering with a responsible and experienced development company is the main factor of your MVP success. The quality of a final product depends on the selected tech stack and methods. Native and cross-platform apps have different timelines and costs and require different engineers. Before you start cooperation, you need to discuss all the project details to choose ideal opportunities. Make sure the team realizes your goals and offers beneficial choices.
Pay Attention to UI/UX Design
Design factors can significantly increase your expenses on MVP product development. For the very first version, you should go for a basic and clear interface. This won’t confuse your first users and make them focus on the features of your solution.
Define the Basic and Extended Feature Set
An MVP overwhelmed with features is a common mistake. Before you start the development phase, you need to clarify the key and extra features of your product. It helps your development team concentrate on the necessary processes and cuts your expenses. You need to note the features you expect to see in your mobile app MVP and analyze which are essential for user paths and which are of secondary importance.
MVP Is Ready. What’s Next?
There is no time to sit back and relax after adjusting your mobile app to the user reviews and building an MVP. You need to monitor the market situation and gather user feedback according to the initial purpose of this concept. You will be able to find out whether your expectations were right. You can also discover new, extraordinary ideas that help enhance your product and reach users more efficiently.
Constant improvements are the only right way to launch an excellent product. If an MVP proved your business concept, it’s already great news. This concept shows the right direction to develop your mobile application.
To Wrap Up
Listening to your early users is the central idea of MVP development. This approach contributes significantly to adjusting your product to real users’ demands and market situations. It also helps you spend your resources on essential and urgent things to make smart financial decisions.
The cost of MVP app development is lower because you don’t waste valuable resources on redundant or ineffective features. It especially pertains to startups that have budget limitations. We hope that our guide helped you build an efficient mobile app and avoid common mistakes.
