Customer expectations for digital products have never been higher, and users can afford to be picky. With millions of apps at their fingertips, they’re looking for a love-at-first-sight moment that immediately proves a product will make their lives better. That’s no easy feat, and traditional Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) don’t usually fit the bill.
To thrive in an increasingly competitive market, companies need to create something that goes several steps beyond the basic functionality of an MVP. When you develop a Minimum Loveable Product (MLP), you offer a product that customers will not only use but also adore. MLPs have put a new spin on product development, making it more user-centered and upping the potential rewards. In this article, we’ll explain what an MLP is, what advantages it offers to your business, and how you can get your product up and running.
Understanding MLPs
As the name suggests, an MLP is a product that focuses on addressing a pain point or completing a task in a way that puts the user experience at the forefront and makes it delightful. This type of product solves a user’s problem while also exciting and inspiring them.
MVP vs MLP
Imagine that you’re in the mood for pizza and decide to try a new restaurant. When they deliver your food to the table, you see a basic crust, a dollop of sauce, and a small sprinkling of cheese. The restaurant has done what you asked by serving you a pizza, but you’ll probably never order from them again. That’s because the restaurant has served you the equivalent of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). It meets your basic needs and fulfills your request, but there’s nothing about it that you love.
For many start-ups, the first step in establishing a business is creating an MVP that shows off a product’s features and functionalities, just like a basic pizza. It’s an opportunity for companies to send their product to market as quickly as possible, but it can also leave customers frustrated and discouraged because of the lack of focus on user experience. Even if a product has a solid foundation, no one benefits from the fast rollout if navigating and using it is difficult or unpleasant.
An MLP, on the other hand, goes a step further than functionality by creating a product that resonates emotionally with users. Rather than just cramming in features and demonstrating that a product works, it prioritizes making the user experience delightful and memorable.
The Purpose of an MLP
In a perfect world, customers would give you two, three, or more tries to get your product right. If your first attempt wasn’t especially appealing, they’d wait patiently for you to release the next version.
The reality is that most users aren’t willing to waste that much time, especially in a competitive marketplace. The goal of an MLP is to hit the right note with your initial product offering so that users love it from the start. In doing so, you’ll differentiate your brand and establish your product as a high-quality solution in a crowded field.
The Advantages of MLPs
Setting your brand apart is key to any company’s success, particularly when multiple brands are all trying to address the same customer pain point. If users don’t appreciate your product right away, they’ll move on to see what a competitor has to offer.
An MLP allows you to create a positive perception of your brand from the first interaction. As a result, customers are more likely to respect and appreciate your company, and the chances are higher that they’ll come back to see your other products and solutions.
In addition, creating an MLP shows that you understand and care about your target users because it directly addresses one of their specific pain points. This leads to a more positive customer experience, higher customer satisfaction, and greater customer engagement.
Creating an MLP means offering what the customer likes rather than just the bare minimum of what they need. Take Bounce, for example. The company started with an event ticketing platform, but it took that functionality a step further to create an MLP. With a clean interface and delightful features, including easy payments, communications, and community-building, Bounce offers a unique product that drives excitement and growth.
Rucksack has a similar story. Their product concept is straightforward—helping people with travel planning—but they took it to another level and made their product lovable. Users can not only find restaurants, events, and attractions but also collaborate with friends and family as they organize their trips.
How to Craft an MLP
Understanding your target audience and delivering more than basic functionality is critical to creating a great MLP. The question is how exactly to make that happen. A step-by-step approach to MLP development makes the process less overwhelming and more successful.
Identify Core User Needs
MLP development starts with your customer, and the best digital products come out of pure frustration. Somebody has a problem in their job and keeps hitting a brick wall, unable to get around it or find a realistic solution. By developing an MLP, you’ll create something that takes that problem away, alleviating the customer’s stress and making them happier in the process.
To find out what issues are plaguing your prospective customers, you need to communicate with and understand them. Rather than building a customer persona based purely on demographic data, talk to a real person who has this problem and listen to their day-to-day experience trying to solve it.
A product that solves a customer problem has proven value, and people are generally willing to pay for it. If, on the other hand, you can’t find someone who’s struggling with the problem you’re trying to solve, that might be a red flag that there’s not an adequate market for your MLP.
Incorporate Delightful Features
Next, you’ll create a prototype with all the delightful elements that make your product special. In addition to incorporating basic functionality, look for opportunities to enhance the user experience. Design features that get to the heart of customers’ pain and anxiety, and you’ll create a product that people love because it makes their lives easier.
When your design is complete, construct a prototype. It might be labor-intensive, but a prototype is worth a thousand meetings because it allows you to get genuine feedback. Rather than committing to a single vision, start with multiple variations so you can find the most effective way to address the customer’s needs.
Put the Prototype in Customers’ Hands
While internal testing is important, no one understands what your product should do better than your customers. That’s why it’s crucial to include them in the design and development process.
When you give users access to your product, keep your instructions to a minimum. Instead of telling them how to use it, hand it over and ask them to complete a task. If they can, you’ve created a solid user experience. If they try to use your product and struggle or fail, then it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
The goal is for customers to find the product useful and easy to navigate. When they do, that means you’re one step closer to creating an MLP.
Iterate Based on Feedback
Customer feedback should guide the remainder of your MLP development. Ask users what they liked, what they would change, and whether the product solved any problems for them. Be open to their comments and willing to consider how you can use them to inform the remainder of the process.
While customer criticism can be difficult to take, it’s better to learn that a product idea isn’t viable in the design stage than in development. Redesigning is much less expensive than building out a product all over again, so getting customer insights as early as possible is vital to keeping costs down and maximizing productivity.
Get Started on Your MLP With a Framework
An effective framework is essential to overcoming obstacles in MLP development. One of the biggest challenges is making sure you address all your customers’ needs without going overboard. A strategic framework from Produktiv helps you stay focused on the must-have elements of your MLP.
When creating a new product, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of creating something that customers will love. At the same time, you don’t want to spend too much time and energy before you know how users will respond. Produktiv has spent years creating frameworks that make the development process simple, smooth, and efficient. They encourage everyone on your team to stick to your central goals and vision so you don’t waste effort and resources.
Get to Know Produktiv’s Frameworks
Produktiv Agency offers specialized frameworks to help teams build MLPs more efficiently. With actionable insights, step-by-step guidance, and real-world examples, these frameworks support you through every stage of the development process, from initial customer research to iterating. These are some of the most valuable frameworks for companies creating MLPs:
- The User Flows & Stories Template includes personas, user stories, and a journey map so you can design a product that solves real people’s problems.
- The User Research Template walks you through the research process as you collect the actionable data and insights you need to build your MLP.
- UX Wireframing keeps your design project on track and your teams on the same page.
- The Design System + Clickable Prototype Template establishes a shared and approved design system so everyone understands the goals and purpose of your MLP.
The right framework can make a world of difference when it comes to creating a lovable product. Head to the Produktiv Agency website to download our exclusive templates and frameworks and jump-start your MLP development for free.
