An MVP (minimum viable product) is the smallest version of your product that real users can try and that teaches you something useful. As an MVP development company, we help founders decide what that version is, build it in TypeScript and React, and put it in front of users quickly.
The hard part of MVP software development is deciding what to leave out. First versions often try to do too much. They run over budget, launch late, and leave the founder with little money to act on what users say.
How we cut an idea down
We start with one question. What is the one task a user must complete for your idea to prove itself?
- For a booking product, it might be “a client books and pays for a session.”
- For a marketplace, it might be “a buyer finds a seller and sends a request.”
- For a B2B tool, it might be “a manager uploads a file and gets the report they need.”
Then we go through your feature list one item at a time. If the core task works without a feature, it moves to a later phase. If users need it to trust the product, such as a clear sign-up or a working payment, it stays.
Some features can be done by hand at first. You can approve new accounts, match buyers with sellers or send reports yourself for the first few dozen customers. That saves weeks of build time. It also shows you which steps are worth automating later.
What an MVP should include
- Sign-up and login, so you know who your users are
- The core feature, covered by automated tests
- Payments through Stripe, if charging money is part of what you want to test
- Simple analytics that show where people stop
- A way for users to send feedback from inside the product
- A basic admin page, so you can see accounts and fix small problems without a developer
What to leave for later
- Native iPhone and Android apps. A web app that works well on phones costs less to build and to change.
- Team accounts and detailed permissions, unless teams are your market. Our SaaS development page covers that stage.
- Detailed reports and charts. Those come once you know which numbers matter. See dashboard development.
- Integrations with every tool your users might have
- Settings that only a few users will ever change
- Extra polish on screens few people will see
No-code or custom code
No-code tools such as Bubble, Glide or Softr can put a simple product online in days. They work well when the product is mostly forms, lists and approval steps, and your main question is whether anyone wants it.
Custom code is the better choice when:
- the core feature needs logic a no-code tool cannot handle, such as pricing rules, scheduling or calculations
- you handle sensitive data and need control over where it is stored
- investors or a future technical co-founder will review the code
- you expect to grow and want to avoid a rebuild within a year
If a no-code tool will answer your question faster, we will say so on the scoping call.
A realistic phase plan
Each phase has its own scope, date and fixed price. You decide whether to continue after each one.
- Scoping. We agree on the users, the core task and what the first release includes. You get a written plan with rough screens, a feature list and a price for each phase.
- First release. We build the core task, sign-up and the basics listed above, then launch. You get a test link early and try each feature as it is finished.
- Feedback. Real users try the product. We review the analytics and your user interviews with you, and fix whatever blocks people.
- Next phase. We plan the next set of features from what users actually did. Items from the original wish list move up only if the data supports them.
You get a timeline for the first release after the scoping call. Payments, more than one type of user or an integration add time.
Price
Prices are on our pricing page.
Funding for Canadian startups
Two federal programs can help pay for product development. NRC IRAP funds research and development of new technology at incorporated, for-profit Canadian businesses with up to 500 employees. You apply through an advisor, and funding is not guaranteed. The SR&ED program gives tax credits for work that aims at a technological advancement through systematic investigation. Work that only applies existing knowledge does not qualify, and that rules out many MVPs. Check with an advisor before you build your budget around either program. We keep clear technical notes for each phase, which helps if you do apply.
After the MVP
Once people use the product and pay for it, the next step is often a full SaaS setup with teams, subscriptions and an admin area. The custom web app development page lists everything else we build.
Tell us about your idea and we will book a scoping call.
