An app MVP: what it is and how to build the first version

What an MVP is

MVP stands for minimum viable product. Such an app solves one user task from start to finish and does nothing else.

Until someone has used the app, every decision about it is a guess. An MVP quickly shows which guesses were right.

How an MVP differs from a prototype

A prototype shows what the app will look like and how a person moves through its screens. It is built quickly and shown to a few people, and the data in it is usually fake.

An MVP can already be installed and used every day, and it stores real data.

A prototype tests whether the app is clear. An MVP tests whether people need it. Usually the prototype comes first and the MVP follows.

What to put into the first version

Write down in one sentence what a person must be able to do in the app. Everything that action cannot happen without goes into the MVP. The rest waits for later versions.

Take our workout timer, FitTimer. Its main action is starting an interval workout in a few seconds. So the first screen has three wheels for work time, rest time and the number of rounds. The app has no sign-up, because sign-up does nothing to help start a timer.

First versions often get social login, profile settings and statistics added "for later". Each of those pushes back the day the first users see the app.

What to build it with

We build apps with Flutter. One codebase runs on both iPhone and Android, so the app does not have to be written twice. This is especially handy for a first version, because changes after the first feedback are made once.

When an app needs a shared database, sign-up and notifications, we use Firebase. The Argyns app is built this way: it has a shared database, clan statistics and gathering announcements. It is available on the App Store and Google Play.

How work on an MVP goes

1. Agree on the one action being tested.
2. Build a prototype of the screens, walk through it as a user and remove what is not needed.
3. Develop the path of the main action first, then everything else.
4. Test on devices with different screens, on weak internet and with the screen locked.
5. Publish. App stores review every version, and time has to be allowed for that.
6. Collect feedback and plan the next version from what users do.

When you do not need an MVP

If a website, a bot or a spreadsheet solves the task, an app can be skipped. An app is needed when a person comes back to it often, gets notifications or works offline.