Published on May 31st, 2021 | by Bibhuranjan

3 Ways to Create an MVP Without Technical Background

These days, companies often launch an app with one-two core features before building a fully-fledged solution. This approach is called a minimum viable product and is especially popular among startups. This way, they can save time and costs on the earliest stages of product development.

The primary purpose of initiating the MVP development process is to ensure that there is a demand for your solution or service. Besides, you can get immediate feedback from pioneer users as for functionality that should be added, modified, or removed.

This reaction will help you conclude whether your idea is ready to be turned into a fully-featured product. If not, you may consider pivoting. Forbes defines pivot as a fundamental change of direction for your business when you realize that your current products don’t meet the demands of the target audience. To put it simply, you should create another hypothesis and test it.

To release a successful MVP that will be later turned into a fully-fledged product, you need to do some groundwork.

Follow the steps below, and you will get better chances of successful idea validation.

Define the problem you want to solve with your product or service.
Do market research. Analyze your target audience and market rivals. Take a look at existing solutions in your domain.
Define the main features and prioritize them. Remember that you should focus on one-two features users cannot do without. Save fancy and sophisticated functionality for later.
Validate your idea with a prototype. With its help, you will be able to explain to your development and design teams what they should build.

After you have collected the required information, you can proceed to MVP development. If you don’t have a technical background, don’t worry. There are four ways of how to build a Minimum Viable Product without any tech knowledge:

Find a technical co-founder;
Hire a freelancer or a freelancing team;
Build in-house development team;
Partner with a software/product development agency.

1. Finding a technical co-founder

In a nutshell, the best way to create an MVP in your case is to hire a technical co-founder. This person should be both interested in your product idea and qualified in website/mobile app development. The skills of this professional will depend on the solution you want to create.

This way, you will be able to develop the technical side through minimal investments.

The proactiveness of your co-founder is an evident benefit of this approach. This professional will take the same interest in the project’s success as you do. Given that, your co-founder will always look for the most suitable ways to enhance your product.

Moreover, you can rely on your experienced technical co-founder in terms of technical aspects of MVP development. As a result, you can spend more time and money on the branding or promotion of our product.

However, be ready to share the future profit with this specialist.

2. Looking for freelancers at job-related websites

There is hardly a person who has not heard about Upwork, Fiverr, or Freelancer.com. Such websites are created to connect freelancers with potential employers. You can easily find a software developer or a web designer there.

Online freelance marketplaces work the following way. You publish brief information about your project. For example, you specify that you want to build an MVP of an e-commerce platform. Don’t forget to mention what outcomes you expect to get.

If some specialists get interested in your project, they will send you a proposal. Also, they will provide you with basic information about themselves. You can look at their ratings and portfolio and finally pick those specialists who are the most relevant for your needs and preferences.

Freelance platforms are the simplest and the most affordable way to find a software development team for your MVP projects. However, this approach is not flawless.

Be aware that some candidates tend to set low hourly rates. These low rates may speak for the poor quality of the services they provide.

The time difference may become another problem if you decide to partner with specialists from other countries. However, if you establish a clear and transparent communication process, this issue may be avoided.

Finally, Business.com defines lack of commitment as a common issue when it comes to partnership with freelancers. Due to the lack of contractual obligations, they can quickly give up your project.

3. Building an in-house development team

The middle option between a technical co-founder and a freelancer is to hire a highly skilled developer. You can even consider building your in-house development team.

This option is more costly than working with a freelancer, but has undeniable benefits. First, since you have gathered all your project team under the same roof, you get better control over their activities.

Besides, your staff will have one common goal. It means that each team member will work up a sweat to create a successful and profitable product.

However, this approach will not work for you if you seek ways to reduce product development costs. The thing is that building and maintaining your in-house team comes with сertain expenses.

Thus, you will have to pay your workers salaries and compensations, sick leaves and holidays.

In addition, you should not forget about taxes, hardware, and software licensing.

Finally, be aware that you may face such issues as staff dismissal and their lack of knowledge in certain areas.

4. Partnership with an MVP development agency

The last way to build an MVP we want to discuss is a partnership with a reliable software development company. It is the most expensive but at the same time the most proven approach to get a high-quality working solution within a reasonable amount of time.

Let’s take a quick look at the key benefits of this option:

Vast experience in MVP development. The qualified specialists there know for sure what technologies, tools, or approaches will be helpful for your product creation. Besides, they will suggest which functionality should be included in your minimum viable product based on their experience.
A full-cycle development team. It includes project managers, web designers, QAs, and developers. These professionals will take into account the specific nature of your domain and potential bottlenecks. In addition, they will offer the most suitable solutions for addressing challenges they may arise.
Cost-effectiveness. Partnership with the software development company saves you from expenses associated with maintaining an in-house team. You will not have to pay salaries and compensations, holidays and sick leaves.

To sum up

You don’t have to be a technical expert to create an MVP for your product or service – be it a website or a mobile app. Moreover, there are other important aspects apart from the technical one. To create a successful product or service, you need to do market research, test your product with users as early as possible, and promote your product.

Author bio:

Dmitry Chekalin

CEO @ Codica. Software Entrepreneur with 15+ years of experience. Focused on the lean startup approach. I write about startups, marketplaces and SaaS products, and custom software development.

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Tags: Create mvp, freelancing, Hiring developers, MVP, MVP development agency

About the Author

Bibhuranjan Editorial Officer, technofaq.org I'm an avid tech enthusiast at heart. I like to mug up on new and exciting developments on science and tech and have a deep love for PC gaming. Other hobbies include writing blog posts, music and DIY projects.