Building an MVP
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The document discusses building a minimum viable product (MVP). It defines an MVP as the version of a new product that allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort. It recommends starting with paper prototypes, smoke and mirror prototypes, or leveraging existing platforms to keep the MVP minimal. The document also provides tips for finding developers and advice on how to judge the quality of developers.
Building an MVP
- 1. Building an MVP LMU February 2013 Tony Karrer, Ph.D. CEO, TechEmpower, Inc. [email protected] http://socalcto.com
- 2. 2 Background • Ph.D. Computer Science, LMU Professor CS 10 Years • Founder – Sprinkler Systems Installation (age 15) – Knowledge Stream ($59M exit) – TechEmpower (1997 - present) – Aggregage (2010 – present) • Part-Time CTO / Technical Advisor – Talk with 100+ startups each year
- 3. 3 What is an MVP? • Minimum Viable Product “The minimum viable product is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort.” • Really Not about Showing to Investors, Getting Feedback from Customers • Test / Prove Aspects of Product – Cost of Customer Acquisition, Conversion Rates / Pricing, Viral Coefficient
- 4. 4 Care Prep
- 5. 5 Ways to Make Your MVP More Minimum • Paper Prototype • Smoke and Mirrors Prototype • Fake Site • Leverage Existing Platforms or Third Party Products • Steve Blank – Startup Owner’s Manual – Customer Development
- 7. 7 Before You Build Anything • Wireframes • Graphic Comps • Paper Test and Iterate • Don’t Miss Key Questions http://www.socalcto.com/2011/08/32-questions-developers-may-have- forgot.html – Targets/Mobile, Notifications, Email, Marketing Tracking, Analytics / Metrics / Reporting, SEO Support, Social / Viral, Location, Time Zones, Video • End Result: Wireframes, Comps, Functional Notes/ Specification
- 8. 8 Balsamiq
- 9. 9 Complexity of Your Product Complex > 12 Prog Mon > $100K Simple < 3 Prog Mon < $35K
- 10. 10 Complexity of Your Product Complex > 12 Prog Mon Simple < 3 Prog Mon Equity Only Developer Dedicated Technical Team In House, Outsource, Hybrid Freelance Developer(s) Technical Cofounder
- 11. 11 Founder Developer Gap • Mark Suster, GRP, Ideal Startup Team – http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2013/02/06/ho w-to-configure-your-startup-team/ Technical Advisor Programmer Friend Part-time CTO ?
- 12. 12 Outsourced Designers/Developers • eLance, oDesk, 99 Designs • Off-Shore Firms • Do You Have Ability to Direct/Review? • Contract Issues – Own the Code Repository, Hosting Arrangement, etc. – Iterations – Deliverables/Features/Functions – Test, Fix Process – Price - Not to Exceed – Termination • Agile?
- 13. 13 Elusive (Illusive) Technical Cofounder
- 14. 14 Be Prepared When You Meet a Developer • They Want – Solve a problem, create something neat from scratch – Learn something new – Food and other Rewards • Hate – Salespeople / Being Sold – Pretending to Know More Than You Know – Not Knowing Enough – Time Wasters - Don't talk too much. Stay on point. Only go social when they go social.
- 15. 15 How Do I Interview a Developer? • Review and Discuss Portfolio • Check Match for Culture • Simple Coding Tests or Review Code They’ve Written • Audition Project • Get Help
- 16. 16 How to Judge Developers or Symptoms of a Weak Developer • Frequently missed deadlines • Delivery of code/product that clearly has not been tested; Bugs – no big deal. The system keeps crashing – no problem; Annoyed at testers for finding bugs. • Massive overtime • Fixing one thing breaks something else • Source code control is only marginally being used • No attention to detail, don’t ask questions • The first 90% of a project takes 90% of the time. The last 10% takes the other 90%.
- 17. 17 What Language Should I Use? • Ruby/Rails • Python/Django • PHP + Zend/Cake or Joomla/Drupal/WordPress • Java • .Net • Mobile? ESP? Analytics? Video? SEO? Social/Viral?
- 18. Building an MVP LMU February 2013 Tony Karrer, Ph.D. CEO, TechEmpower, Inc. [email protected] http://socalcto.com
Editor's Notes
- #5: MVP - get into the marketEarly customerS –Disagree on selling vs. Validation