Focus on releasing an MVP fast to learn from real user feedback. Iteration, not initial perfection, drives long-term success
Build for customers with urgent needs ("hair-on-fire" problems) who will tolerate and provide feedback on imperfect solutions
Establish strict deadlines, document the core features, cut unnecessary elements, and avoid over-attachment to the first version
Once your MVP is in the hands of users, the goal is to engage with them and iterate on your product. Instead of completely changing your direction if the initial version doesn’t resonate, focus on refining and enhancing the solution to better solve the problem you’re targeting.
Successful companies like Airbnb, Twitch, and Stripe all started with extremely simple versions of their products, which they improved over time based on user feedback.
Many successful startups began with a low-tech version of a product to test a hypothesis or answer specific questions.
Think about the core question you are trying to answer and build something that allows you to get something into the hands of users, iterate based on user feedback, and ratchet up the product’s complexity over time
Launching a product isn’t a one-time event. Continuously gather customer feedback, refine your offering, and adjust based on market signals. This iterative process helps ensure your product meets customer needs and achieves product-market fit.
By following these steps, you’ll be equipped to not only launch a product but also define a clear and actionable path to reaching and serving your target market.
Tandon’s Prototyping Fund: https://makerspace.engineering.nyu.edu/funding/prototypingfund/
Reflect on the core problem your product solves. What are the essential features needed to address this problem, and how can you develop a basic version swiftly to start gathering user feedback?
Identify a specific group of potential users who have the problem you aim to solve. How can you reach out to them directly to present your MVP and gather actionable insights?
Analyze the feedback from your initial users. What common issues are they experiencing, and what are the incremental improvements you can make to enhance your product’s effectiveness?
Regardless if you’re a technical or non-technical founder, it’s always good practice to create a low-tech version (AKA a paper prototype) of your product to solicit feedback. This ensures that you don’t waste time building something people don’t want or need. Wireframe sites like Figma, Miro, and even Canva can offer a great way to get customer feedback before you start building. Low-code tools, such as Bubble, Glide, and Webflow, are also great options.
