Everything seems very easy when an idea occurs to you, and you decide to undertake your startup. You have to develop your app or platform, bring it to market, and expect it to make the millions you think it will make.

You have the drive to bring "the best solution" to the market, which means a finished app with all the features that YOU think your client needs and that will solve your target audience's problems.

Okay, that sounds great, but what if it doesn't turn out the way you imagine it? If the incredible solution or product you created costs you a lot of time and money to develop, and it’s not what the public wants, needs, or is willing to pay for?

You would have to start over, and you probably no longer had the resources to do it, and your startup would have failed. Then, years later, someone would make a successful solution with the same idea as you, and you would be asking yourself why they succeeded, and you didn't. The answer to this question is very simple: MVP.

What is an MVP for a Startup

It's not the most valuable player in the game (although the truth is if you equate your rise as a startup to a game of your favorite sport, it could well be). It is the minimum viable product. This means it is the simplest functional version of the solution you want to develop. You will need it to 1. to solve the user's problem in the simplest way possible and 2. to get feedback to continue improving the MVP with your users in mind.

Why Develop an MVP

Basically, the MVP validates two phrases that are very common in startups: "fail fast" and "fall in love with the problem, not the solution."

An MVP is the way you can test your business hypothesis. As much as you believe your solution is the best, the truth is that it has to be validated by the market. If your buyers disapprove of your solution or aren't willing to pay for it, it's not worth the effort.

For this reason, companies prefer to test simpler versions of their solution and see how the market reacts to them. If the reaction is unfavorable, they can always iterate and completely change the approach while keeping the same problem.

The Process to Create an MVP

Lightbulb — Photo by Martin Wilner on Unsplash

The first thing is the problem; find something you want to solve and start working from there. However, I advise you not to think about the solution from the start because, in some cases, the solution you create becomes totally different after launching your MVP and seeing the public's reaction.

The second step is to develop your solution. As I already mentioned, this should be as basic as possible. In other words, it should solve your users' problems simply and directly. An MVP is not a part of the solution; it's a simplified solution.

Third, after having your MVP, you must launch it on the market and wait for user feedback. You must prepare yourself because this first feedback will probably destroy your solution and all the time you have invested. That is why it is important to remember that this is just an MVP and that you should not fall in love with it. After this first test period, you must analyze the results and whether it is time to pivot or iterate.

The fourth moment is iteration. After analyzing the results of your first MVP and seeing what it lacks, what problems it has, and what the most common complaints are, you should release a second MVP with these changes and test it again. This process will be repeated until you achieve an application that solves the problem and satisfies the users' needs.

How to Develop an MVP

The tricky part of all this is that you must be able to develop one version of your MVP and then another at relative speed, so that your clients don't lose interest in you and look for other solutions, and everything you are doing ends up being profitable. But how to do that if development is expensive and takes a lot of time? Easy, using no-code and low-code platforms.

No- and low-code platforms

They are the solution to all the problems of entrepreneurs who do not have the technical knowledge and do not have the funds to invest in hiring professionally trained staff.

4 of the Best Low-Code Development Platforms >

They are platforms created to convert the development process into something visual that anyone can understand and master in a short time. In addition, they usually have drag and drop interfaces and templates that allow you to advance a large part of your solution. So instead of taking months with the creation of your MVP, it takes only days or weeks.

However, the matter is not as simple as choosing any of these platforms and starting to develop. Unlike development using code, these platforms have limitations to their functionalities and integrations. To begin with, you must have a very clear idea of what you want to do since the same application that makes your web pages does not make you a mobile app.

Caspio: an excellent way to start

As we mentioned, not all platforms are suitable for doing everything, but it is good to have something to start with.

So today, we want to recommend a platform that we, as experts and users, consider ideal to launch your MVP.

Caspio is a front-runner among the most popular database management no-/low-code platforms. They're web-based tools with robust workflow automation offerings with a relatively short learning curve and an excellent support team, making them ideal for people without any expertise in the development field.

Although it is possible to develop a Caspio app for any industry, their strength is education, health, and government. Since most users' needs are based on handling volumes of information and data.

Another great advantage is its cost. Compared to other similar platforms, Caspio has a free basic plan, which can save you some costs according to your MVP needs. Also, the payment plans are somewhat below the competition and come with an incredible support team that can help you if you ever get stuck.

On the other hand, Caspio has the possibility of making many integrations. For example, they have a built-in plug-in for Microsoft Office and Zapier integrations so that you can connect apps like excel, access, Salesforce, and Mailchimp with your Caspio data and workflows.

Another great advantage, which can be helpful for users with some coding knowledge, is the possibility of customizing some functions and workflows through custom code. Caspio supports languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Microsoft SQL. In other words, it’s an application that offers solutions for all those who want to start developing their MVP regardless of their expertise as developers.

Soluntech: the technological ally for your startup

We understand the satisfaction of bringing a product you have made yourself to market. However, not everyone has the skills, time, or desire to sit down and learn a new tool and put everything into developing their MVP.

We are here for those entrepreneurs. We're a tech ally who cares about helping startups get their projects off the ground, either by auditing their already-made solutions or by working together to bring the best MVP to market.

Soluntech: A Result-Driven Innovation Agency >

We offer Silicon Valley quality at a quarter of the price, using low-code platforms to develop MVPs. This allows us to take you to the market 5 times faster than other agencies.