1.
VALIDATION
The Lean Startup method advocates that we build a basic product/prototype and get
out to test and validate our idea.
• Is anyone interested in our product?
• What features do customers care about?
• What features are missing?
• What features aren’t necessary?
We take the data we learn from customers and constantly revise the product

2.
MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT
The minimum viable product (MVP) is “the version of a new product which allows a
team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers
with the least effort.”
This can be:
• A prototype
• A design mockup
• A video describing your product.

3.
The MVP is different for every startup.
What works for one company may
not be viable enough for another.
It’s not about doing the least amount of
work necessary, it’s about doing the
least amount of work necessary to
test your hypothesis. For some
industries this may require a lot of
work.

4.
THE MINI COLLECTION

5.
THE FULL COLLECTION

6.
WHY MVP ?
The goal of the MVP is to test fundamental business
hypotheses and help entrepreneurs begin the
learning process as quickly as possible.
In LS lingo these hypotheses are called leap of faith
assumptions

7.
HOW DO WE VALIDATE?

8.
LANDING PAGES
A landing page is a web page where
visitors “land” after clicking a
link. A landing page should
quickly communicate what your
product/service is about.
Anipals, a social network for pet
owners, created a landing page
to give potential users a preview

9.
BASIC WEBPAGE/ SCREENSHOTS
Beauty Box provider
Wonderbox used a basic
webpage to gauge
interest and test its
hypothesis that female
executives in Malaysia
want to keep up with
the latest beauty/fashion
trends but might not
have the time to do so
• 500 signups in 2 weeks

10.
CROWD FUNDING
Crowd funding lets you know that
people are willing to pay for
your product
Pebble created a Kickstarter that
also served as its pre-order
form
• Raised 10 million

11.
WIZARD OF OZ
A Wizard of OZ MVP is when you put up
a digital webpage that looks like a real
working product, but then manually
carry out product functions
Zappos created a working website, but
instead of building a warehouse the
founder went to local shoe stores to
carry out the purchase orders
• Data from orders confirmed that
people were interested in buying shoes
online

12.
TESTING
You can use testing to validate
specific features or price
points
Bounce, a calendar mobile
app, used A/B testing to
test out different price
points.
• At $10 1.7% purchased
• At $5 1.4 % purchased

13.
VIDEOS
A video should explain what the product
does and why people should care.
Dropbox created a basic video that
explained their product and uploaded it
to Hacker News.
• Got critical feedback from potential
customers
• 70,000 signups for their email list

14.
TALK TO THE PEOPLE
Sometimes taking to people is the
best way to validate your
product.
CapMac started with a basic mac
and cheese recipe (pasta and
cheddar cheese) and through
conversations decided to
rework their product to add
pimiento cheese and a topping.

15.
RESOURCES
• The Validation Board from Lean Startup Machine
• Unbounce- landing pages and A/B testing
• “Ultimate Guide on Building Minimal Viable Products” by 10steps2.com
• Twitter: #LeanStartup and #MVP
• Parts one and 2 from the Lean Startup by Eric Ries