We’re often engaged by our clients to develop Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) of a given product or system. More often than not we see a common and recurring problem with the original brief – the “MVP” is packed full of features of varying shapes and sizes. They fear that without every last feature, their product won’t be able to compete in the market. What’s often overlooked is that the real value of an MVP isn’t in being feature-complete or perfect — it’s in validating the core idea quickly and effectively.
The Truth About MVPs: It’s About Testing Assumptions, Not Perfection
In the rush to meet market expectations or secure funding, we often see companies bulk up their MVPs with features that aren’t strictly necessary to test their value proposition. The desire to deliver a polished product causes many to overlook the true purpose of an MVP: it’s a tool for learning, not a final product. Whilst it feels intuitive that MVPs should be feature-rich to meet customer needs, history has shown that some of the most successful companies had MVPs that were surprisingly bare-bones. Let’s take a look at some of these examples to better understand why MVPs don’t need to be fat.
Airbnb
At launch, Airbnb had no payment processing system, forcing hosts and guests to handle payments themselves, often through PayPal or other makeshift solutions. Despite this limitation, the company focused on testing the core idea of whether people would be willing to stay in someone else’s home. The absence of a built-in payment system didn’t hinder their ability to prove market demand and move forward with their concept.
At the outset, Instagram only allowed users to upload photos with filters, with no support for video or messaging. As a workaround, users simply turned to other apps for video sharing and communication. Despite these missing features, Instagram quickly gained traction because it focused on delivering its core value: simple, beautiful photo sharing.
Slack
Slack’s MVP lacked threading and had poor search functionality, but users adapted by relying on channels and emojis to convey context. Despite these shortcomings, the product addressed a significant pain point—real-time team communication—and quickly gained traction, proving that it didn’t need all the bells and whistles to be effective.
Twitter’s MVP was limited by a 140-character cap, no threading, no images, no direct messages, and no retweet functionality. Users quickly adapted by creating their own conventions, such as using “RT” for retweets and manually linking multiple tweets to create threads. Despite these limitations, Twitter revolutionised online communication by focusing on the core idea of quick, shareable updates, which resonated deeply with users and fueled its rapid growth.
Uber
At first, Uber was only available in San Francisco, lacked fare splitting, and didn’t offer ETA tracking for riders. In the absence of these features, riders coordinated with drivers directly, often calling friends to confirm their trips. Despite these limitations, Uber didn’t wait for the perfect set of features — it focused on providing a much-needed, frictionless solution to urban transportation, which was enough to drive its early success.
Dropbox
Dropbox’s early MVP was essentially a demo video with no real app behind it – users signed up purely based on the concept presented in the video. This approach successfully validated demand for the product before the actual development began, proving that the idea resonated with potential users even without a fully functional product.
Stripe
In the early days, Stripe required users to email the founders directly to obtain API keys. While this manual onboarding process was cumbersome, users were willing to go through it because setting up Stripe was still significantly easier than using legacy payment systems. This dev-first experience helped Stripe gain traction, quickly becoming viral among engineers who appreciated the simplicity and ease of integration.
The Misguided Fear of “Not Enough”
The thought of releasing a product that feels incomplete is terrifying. The fear of not having enough can lead to unnecessary scope creep, bloating an MVP with features that don’t actually contribute to validating the product’s core value proposition. The truth is that the early-stage market doesn’t need the entire feature set to show interest. If your MVP solves a critical pain point in a simple, easy-to-use way, it can succeed even without a comprehensive feature set.
Overcoming the “Fat” MVP
Avoiding a “Fat” MVP requires focus, discipline and a lean mindset in being selective in what the MVP focuses on and is trying to achieve. It is worth thinking critically about:
- Focusing on Core Value: Identify the absolute essentials that solve the problem your product addresses. Strip away anything that doesn’t directly contribute to this.
- Testing Assumptions, Not Features: The MVP is about testing key assumptions. If you’re uncertain whether people will even pay for your product, or if they’ll use it as intended, that’s where your focus should be.
- Iterating Based on Feedback: Release quickly, gather feedback, and iterate. Don’t wait for the MVP to be perfect. Aim for something that works, even if it’s minimal.
Embracing Workarounds: Many successful MVPs had limitations, and users were willing to work around them. By minimising complexity in your product and focusing on one key feature, you allow users to adapt in ways that don’t impede progress.
Lean MVPs: A More Effective Approach
Rather than spending months adding features that might not be necessary or developing a fully fleshed-out product, consider launching a lean MVP that is just enough to start the learning process. Features that don’t directly serve the core value of the product should be put on the back burner until the MVP has been validated. This keeps your costs low, your timeline short, and your focus sharp.
Conclusion: Keep It Lean, Keep It Focused
Building an MVP doesn’t require delivering a feature-complete product that rivals the competition. In fact, it’s often the “flaws” or workarounds that enable companies to test their ideas quickly without over-investing in unnecessary features. The MVP is your first step toward validating your product idea and figuring out what actually works. Don’t be afraid to start small. After all, the road to product-market fit isn’t about perfection—it’s about iteration.
At The Curve, we focus on helping clients embrace the “lean” MVP mindset and prioritise what truly matters. If you’re worried about launching a product that’s “too small,” remember: many successful products started with less. What really matters is getting started, testing your assumptions, and learning fast. The features can always come later.