Does your MVP or prototype even need design?
Many makers, founders and entrepreneurs take the view that an MVP, prototype, or even a v1 doesn’t need design.
I disagree, but I think it’s a misunderstanding about what design is.
There’s a couple of reasons for this.
Firstly, product creators are often in a hurry to build, opting for what feels like efficiency and progress. Compared to building, design feels slow and abstract. Building feels more active and precise.
In reality, there are a few ways design plays an important role in the early success of a product.
Research
Not many people associate design with research, but it is part of the process. And you should be basing your ideas on some research, however small. Starting with some basic knowledge of your users and competitors first will help you build the right thing.
Why waste time and resource on something that’s routed in assumption?
When I put together an ebook in 2020 I used this process. I first observed pain points in public, then put in the time to interview potential users and show them a prototype of a few pages. That gave me enough insight to be confident of writing the entire content, and eventually launching.
There are a couple of main ways design helps.
Design realises the value
Even though you’re building something minimal with an MVP, it still needs some design to stand a good chance of success — to be valuable.
Users expect every online experience to look and work at a basic level, or it’s not going to be valuable to them. It needs to be usable and clear, even if they know there’s more polish coming.
You can always get away with less design, but that puts more pressure on the value of your functions and content.
Design gives it functionality
Design is not just about visual aesthetics, as is often assumed. It also plays a key role in the functionality of the product, through UX.
If there’s been little thinking in this area it could make an MVP too hard to test by early users.
Not paying any attention to the user experience will mean more iterations and development before you can get good feedback.
What are examples?
Let’s take a quick look at two brands everyone will be familiar with.
Google search
This is a screenshot of Google from its very early days in Beta, late 90s. It may be basic but it is still designed to centre your attention on the product’s core function and purpose, through:
- Lots of white space
- Search bar as the centrepiece of the page
Most websites at the time were cluttered, so these were intentional decisions. A minimalistic design allowed users to quickly understand the purpose of the product and perform core tasks without distractions.
Product Hunt
This is a screenshot of Product Hunt from its early days. Again, basic but the product’s core functions and purpose are front and centre:
- Uncluttered visual aesthetic
- Upvote function was the centrepiece
With a simple visual design and visual cues, the core functions (discovery and voting) were easy to recognise and interact with.
Well positioned to evolve
So we can see that while it may be tempting to skip or reduce design input when creating an MVP, it can be valuable in encouraging interaction — affording both value and functionality to a product, even in its early stages.
By involving and considering at least some design from the outset, product creators can ensure that their MVP is not only usable and clear, but also well-positioned to evolve into a successful product in the long run.
