Beyond the Basics: Crafting a High-Impact Minimal Viable Product (MVP) By Sai Prakash
Every startup begins with an idea. But the difference between a fleeting concept and a sustainable business lies in execution—and that journey often starts with the Minimal Viable Product (MVP).
As highlighted in the SPARKLAB 2.0 session on technology frameworks, led by Sai Prakash, CTO and co-founder of Mindscape, an MVP is not just about minimum features. It’s about achieving functional, economic, and operational viability.
What Makes an MVP Truly “Viable”?
The “V” in MVP—Viable—is the part most often overlooked.
A product is viable when:
- The user benefits tangibly from it.
- The business model is repeatable and sustainable.
Think of product development as a progression:
- Prototypes – Early, often non-functional models.
- MVP – The leanest version that can be tested.
- Pilot – MVP tested with early adopters in a safe, controlled setting.
- Version One – The official public release.
Without viability, even the smartest MVP will collapse under real-world pressures.
Strategic Slicing and Choosing Early Adopters
At the start, ideas can feel like a flood. To avoid being spread too thin, entrepreneurs need to carve out a focused MVP slice—a start-to-finish solution that delivers genuine value to one target use case.
Equally important: choose your first audience wisely. Targeting everyone is costly and inefficient. Instead, begin with early adopters—the segment that’s easiest to reach in terms of cost, time, and willingness to try new solutions. For example, instead of targeting all doctors, focusing specifically on cardiologists creates clearer personas and faster learning.
Two effective slicing patterns include:
- Wizard of Oz/Concierge Approach: Manually supporting customers behind the scenes to uncover real friction points.
- Single Workflow Focus: Doing one thing exceptionally well instead of spreading resources across multiple mediocre features.
Prioritizing Features with Moscow and RICE
Once the MVP slice is chosen, the next step is feature prioritization.
1. The Moscow Method
Classify features as:
- Must Have – Core to delivering value.
- Should Have – Important but not essential.
- Could Have – Nice to add later.
- Won’t Have (for now) – Explicitly deprioritized.
2. RICE Scoring
A structured way to rank features based on:
Where:
- Reach – Users affected.
- Impact – Value delivered.
- Confidence – Certainty in assumptions.
- Effort – Cost in time/resources.
Paired with Kano analysis, teams can also identify “delighter” features—those unexpected touches (like Slack’s custom emojis) that spark joy and loyalty.
Leveraging Rapid Prototyping
Speed is critical in the startup race. Luckily, open-source tools and AI-assisted code generation make it possible to build prototypes faster than ever.
Platforms like V0.dev allow founders to generate mockups or websites from simple prompts, drastically reducing the time spent on design and copywriting. Even non-technical founders can now experiment, visualize, and refine their ideas with minimal friction.
Defining and Measuring Success
Many startups stumble not because of weak ideas, but because they don’t define success clearly. Every MVP must be tested against measurable hypotheses.
Key metrics include:
- Time to First Value (TTFV): How quickly new users experience value. (Slack targeted <5 minutes.)
- North Star Metric: The single most important measure of customer success (e.g., reduction in cholesterol levels for a health app).
- Guardian Metrics: Safeguards against unintended negative consequences.
Equally important is fostering a culture of writing—documenting decisions, assumptions, and learnings. This creates clarity, alignment, and accountability within the team.
Final Thoughts
The MVP is not about cutting corners—it’s about starting small, learning fast, and scaling smart. By focusing on viability, strategically targeting early adopters, prioritizing features systematically, and measuring success rigorously, startups can build MVPs that don’t just exist—but truly make an impact.