Crafting a solid MVP is a crucial step on the path to developing truly game-changing products. And yet if you don’t get this right, you could end up tossing out ideas which would have worked well in different circumstances.
That’s where MVP testing comes into play, so let’s explore best practices for handling this which every business needs to follow.
Give Customers Enough Information To Extract Value From Your Product
You can’t expect every person who encounters your MVP to understand its purpose or know how to harness it effectively, no matter how intuitive the design.
That’s where it pays to put together clear, simple documentation or even full-blown video clips to explain exactly what your product does and what the end user experience should be like.
This is also a useful first step in marketing, and could pave the way forward on your product roadmap if it hits home, or suggest different routes to take if it doesn’t get your ideas across clearly.
Check That Changes You Make Don’t Break Anything Else
In the case that you decide to alter your product based on feedback from testing, it’s important to ensure that the adjustments themselves aren’t the source of some other, new issue.
That’s where regression testing comes into play, allowing you to re-run checks that have previously been done on earlier iterations of the MVP before it was put in the hands of users.
In software development, getting to grips with the basics of agile regression testing is wise, as this will streamline this stage of the process and make sure you’re able to adapt to any obstacles you encounter as a result.
Select Testers From Your Target Demographic
You want your MVP testing to deliver results that are representative of how your product would perform in the hands of genuine users, so it’s worth being discerning in deciding on who delivers feedback at this stage.
Finding out the feelings of those in the audience you want to sell your product to in the long run will be more informative, and also let you build brand awareness early on.
Consider Opinions From Across The Spectrum
It’s great to get positive feedback when testing MVPs, but don’t let a majority of good responses blind you from the small but potentially significant number of negative comments you receive.
There’s value to be gained from every interpretation of a product, and in the case that certain testers have very little praise to give, you might have stumbled upon a flaw which will only be more conspicuous post-launch.
Avoid Overdoing It On Product Capabilities
The operative word in MVP is arguably minimum, and part of the reason for this is that it makes testing much simpler and more focused.
Just because you’ve got other functions you want to add, don’t do this too early in development, or else you won’t be able to get the fundamentals right.
Set Goals
The open, freewheeling approach to MVP testing has its merits, and might make sense depending on the nature of your product. However, it’s usually more helpful to establish particular goals which testers are encouraged to achieve, so that they are more purposeful in their actions.
This loops back into the idea we discussed earlier, of having them fed adequate information to get started. You don’t want to hold their hands too tightly, of course, so there’s a fine balance to strike in your quest for a compelling user experience.
Keep In Touch With Testers For Future Feedback
If a person has been involved in MVP testing, then they will have more of an insight to provide further down the line when you’ve got a more advanced iteration of your product to put in front of users.
Hanging onto their contact info, and even asking during the initial testing if they’d be willing to participate again at a later date, is convenient in this context.
Don’t Be Scared To Try Experimental Testing Methods
Lastly, it’s always worth thinking outside the box and stretching yourself when picking MVP testing methodologies. While things like customer interviews and surveys are all well and good, there are alternative strategies which can also deliver benefits if you choose to deploy them.
Crowdfunding campaigns are a good example of this, and can let you test the waters not only about whether there’s demand for your product idea in the first place, but also gauge the types of features and functions that your target audience would want from it, and would be willing to pay for.
Ella Marcotte
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