Building Your MVP: What to Include and What to Skip

What Is an MVP (And What It's Not)

The Real Definition

MVP = The simplest version of your product that solves the core problem for early adopters and provides learning.

Key principles:

Minimum: Bare essentials only—no extras, no polish, no "nice-to-haves" Viable: Actually solves the core problem (not broken or useless) Product: Something users can interact with to provide feedback

What MVP Is NOT:

❌ Beta version with all features: That's a full product, not MVP
❌ Broken or buggy mess: "Minimum" doesn't mean "non-functional"
❌ Prototype or mockup: Users need to actually use it
❌ Feature-complete but unpolished: Still too much
❌ Something you're embarrassed to show: Common misconception—you should be slightly embarrassed by how basic it is

The famous Reid Hoffman quote: "If you're not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late."

Why Most Founders Overbuild MVPs

Common traps:

Perfectionism: "Users will judge us on first impression"

• Reality: Early adopters forgive rough edges if you solve their problem

Feature anxiety: "Competitors have X, Y, Z features"

• Reality: Competitors often have bloated products users don't fully use

Personal vision: "But this is essential to my vision"

• Reality: Your vision matters less than user needs

Technical ego: "I can build this easily"

• Reality: Building isn't the bottleneck—validation is

Fear of looking amateur: "People will think we're not serious"

• Reality: Launching something imperfect beats not launching

The result: 6-12 months building, $50K-$200K spent, zero validated learning until launch (often discovering the market doesn't care).

Better approach: 2-6 weeks building, $5K-$20K spent, continuous learning from week one.

Identifying Your Core Value Proposition

Before deciding what to build, crystallize the ONE problem you solve.

The Core Value Prop Exercise:

Step 1: Complete this sentence: "[Target user] has [specific problem]. Our product helps them [solution] by [how it works]."

Example - Uber (original MVP): "People in San Francisco have trouble getting reliable rides. Our product helps them get rides within minutes by connecting them with nearby drivers through an app."

Step 2: Identify the absolute minimum to deliver that value.

For Uber:

• Request ride
• Match with nearby driver
• Track driver location
• Pay through app

NOT needed for MVP:

• Multiple car types
• Ride sharing
• Scheduled rides
• Driver ratings (initially)
• In-app support chat
• Promotions and discounts
• Trip history

Step 3: What can users tolerate being manual or clunky in V1?

Uber's early MVP:

• Only black cars (no UberX)
• Cash payments initially
• Manual driver approval
• Basic map interface
• iPhone only (no Android)

The MVP Feature Framework: Must-Have vs. Nice-to-Have

Use this decision tree for every feature:

Question 1: Does this solve the core problem?

• No → Skip for MVP
• Yes → Continue

Question 2: Can the product work without it?

• Yes → Skip for MVP
• No → Continue

Question 3: Can this be done manually (by you) initially?

• Yes → Skip automation, do manually
• No → Include in MVP

Question 4: Will users accept a basic version?

• Yes → Build basic version only
• No → Might need to polish this specific feature

Example Application - Food Delivery App:

Feature: Order food

• Solves core problem? Yes
• Product work without it? No
• Can be manual? No
• Include: ✅ Basic ordering (even if clunky)

Feature: Real-time driver tracking

• Solves core problem? Partially (nice but not essential)
• Product work without it? Yes (can text "Driver on the way")
• Can be manual? Yes (send manual updates)
• Include: ❌ Skip for MVP, manually text updates

Feature: Restaurant ratings

• Solves core problem? No (helps choose, but not core)
• Product work without it? Yes
• Include: ❌ Skip for MVP

Feature: Multiple payment methods

• Solves core problem? Partially
• Product work without it? Not really
• Can be manual? No
• Include: ✅ But just ONE payment method (credit card only)

Feature: Promo codes

• Solves core problem? No
• Include: ❌ Skip for MVP

Feature: Order history

• Solves core problem? No
• Include: ❌ Skip for MVP

What Belongs in Every MVP

The Non-Negotiables:

1. Core Problem Solution

The ONE thing your product does that users care about.

Example - Dropbox MVP: File syncing across devices (that's it)

NOT included: File sharing, collaboration, mobile apps, version history, selective sync

2. Basic User Authentication (if needed)

If your product requires accounts:

• Email/password signup
• Login
• Password reset

NOT needed: Social login, two-factor auth, email verification (unless security-critical)

3. Minimum UI for Core Function

Functional, not beautiful.

• Clear enough to use
• Branded enough to look intentional (not broken)
• NO: Custom illustrations, animations, extensive styling

4. One Payment Method (if monetizing immediately)

If charging from day one:

• Credit card processing (Stripe)

NOT needed: PayPal, crypto, invoicing, subscriptions (if one-time purchase works)

5. Basic Error Handling

Don't let app crash silently.

• Simple error messages
• Basic validation

NOT needed: Sophisticated error tracking, comprehensive validation, detailed error pages

6. Way to Contact You

Email address or simple contact form.

NOT needed: Live chat, phone support, ticketing system, knowledge base

What to Ruthlessly Cut from Your MVP

Cut these from V1 (add later based on actual user feedback):

User-Facing Features:

❌ Advanced search and filters: Basic search or manual browsing is fine
❌ User profiles and customization: Default settings for everyone
❌ Social features: Sharing, commenting, following (unless core to product)
❌ Notifications: Email only if essential, skip push notifications
❌ Mobile apps: Web app is faster to build and iterate
❌ Multiple languages: English (or your market's primary language) only
❌ Onboarding tutorials: Brief text explanation is enough
❌ Gamification: Points, badges, leaderboards (unless core)
❌ Analytics dashboard for users: They don't need to see their usage stats yet
❌ Advanced settings: Sensible defaults, minimal customization

Backend/Admin Features:

❌ Advanced analytics: Google Analytics is enough initially
❌ Automated workflows: Do things manually
❌ Sophisticated admin panel: Directly access database if needed
❌ API for third parties: Not needed until you have users
❌ Complex permissions and roles: Everyone is admin initially

Technical "Nice-to-Haves":

❌ Extensive testing: Manual testing is fine for MVP
❌ CI/CD pipelines: Deploy manually
❌ Microservices architecture: Monolith is faster
❌ Scalability optimization: Premature optimization wastes time
❌ Multiple database options: One database
❌ Extensive security beyond basics: HTTPS and basic auth are enough (don't skip security entirely, but don't overengineer)

The "Concierge MVP" Approach

What if you can validate without building anything substantial?

Concierge MVP: You manually deliver the service before automating.

Example - Food on the Table (meal planning startup):

Instead of building an app, founder:

1. Recruited one family
2. Went to their home weekly
3. Manually planned their meals based on sales at local stores
4. Delivered personalized meal plans and shopping lists

Result: Validated people would pay for this service, understood actual needs, THEN built software to automate what she'd been doing manually.

When to use Concierge MVP:

• Service-based businesses
• Complex products where automation is expensive
• When you're unsure exactly what users need
• Marketplaces (manually connect supply and demand initially)

Benefits:

• Zero/minimal development
• Direct user feedback
• Understand workflow before automating
• Validate willingness to pay

The "Wizard of Oz" MVP

Appears automated but is manual behind the scenes.

Famous example - Zappos:

Founder tested if people would buy shoes online by:

1. Taking photos of shoes in local stores
2. Posting online
3. When someone ordered, he'd buy the shoes at retail and ship them

Looked like a real store, but was completely manual.

Modern example - AI Startups:

Many "AI-powered" MVPs have humans doing the work behind the scenes initially.

• Content moderation: Humans reviewing
• Recommendations: Humans curating
• Customer support: Humans answering with AI branding

When to use:

• Testing demand before building complex tech
• AI/ML products (humans can simulate AI initially)
• Products where automation is expensive

Building Your MVP: Process and Timeline

Realistic MVP Timeline:

Week 1: Planning

• Define core value prop
• List all possible features
• Ruthlessly cut to bare minimum
• Create simple wireframes

Weeks 2-4: Building

• Set up basic infrastructure
• Build core feature
• Add minimal UI
• Basic authentication if needed

Week 5: Testing

• Manual testing
• Fix critical bugs
• Don't pursue perfection

Week 6: Launch to first users

• Friends, family, early adopter communities
• Collect feedback

Weeks 7+: Iterate based on learning

• What features are users asking for?
• What's confusing?
• What can be improved?

Total: 6-8 weeks from idea to first users

Common MVP Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Mistake 1: Building for Scale

"What if we get a million users?"

Reality: 99% of startups never face scaling problems. Build for 10-100 users first.

Mistake 2: Listening to Non-Users

Friends/family feedback: "You should add X feature!"

Reality: Only feedback from people who actually use the product regularly matters.

Mistake 3: Analysis Paralysis

"We need to research more before building."

Reality: Build something small, learn from real users, iterate.

Mistake 4: Perfect Design

Spending weeks on pixel-perfect UI.

Reality: Users forgive ugly if it solves their problem. Focus on function.

Mistake 5: Building Everything Yourself

"I'll build iOS app, Android app, web app, backend..."

Reality: Use no-code tools, templates, contractors for non-core work. Focus your time on what's truly unique.

Mistake 6: Waiting for the "Right Time"

"I'll launch when it's ready."

Reality: It will never feel ready. Launch imperfect, improve based on feedback.

Tools and Shortcuts for Building MVPs Fast

No-Code/Low-Code Options:

Landing pages: Webflow, Carrd, Wix Web apps: Bubble, Webflow, Softr Mobile apps: Adalo, Glide, FlutterFlow Forms/Surveys: Typeform, Google Forms Payments: Stripe, PayPal Authentication: Auth0, Firebase Database: Airtable, Google Sheets (yes, really) Email: Mailchimp, SendGrid

Templates and Boilerplates:

Don't build from scratch if templates exist:

• SaaS boilerplates (save weeks of setup)
• UI component libraries (Bootstrap, Tailwind, Material-UI)
• Marketplace templates

Outsource Non-Core Work:

Freelancers for:

• Design (Figma mockups)
• Frontend development
• Content writing
• Video production

Keep in-house:

• Core problem-solving logic
• User research and feedback
• Strategic decisions

Building an MVP isn't about creating the minimum product you can get away with—it's about learning the maximum from minimum investment. Cut every feature that doesn't directly solve your core problem. Solve that one problem well enough for early adopters to use regularly and provide feedback. Accept that your MVP will feel incomplete—that's the point. Launch in weeks, not months. Validate assumptions before building extensively. Remember: you're not building the final product; you're building the first experiment in a series. Speed and learning trump perfection. Most features users eventually love weren't in the original MVP—they emerged from user feedback after launch.