Beyond "Just Ship It": Why Your Product Needs to Be Lovable (and Marketable) from Day One
For years, the "Minimum Viable Product" or MVP has been the holy grail for startups and product teams. The Lean Startup methodology, emphasizing rapid iteration and learning, was revolutionary. But let's be honest: the product landscape of 2025 isn't what it was in 2011. User expectations have, frankly, seen massive inflation.
I've been saying this for a while now: Minimum Viable Products, in their classic interpretation, are largely history if you want to make a real impact today.
Simply getting a functional product out the door often isn't enough to cut through the noise or capture hearts and minds. Users are more discerning, have more choices, and less patience for clunky or uninspired experiences.
The Shift to MLP and MMP
So, what's the alternative? I believe product leaders need to aim higher from the very first iteration. This means focusing on two key concepts:
Minimum Lovable Product (MLP): This isn't about feature-packing. It's about identifying that core user problem and solving it in a way that not only works but also delights your early adopters. It’s about crafting an experience, however small, that users genuinely love and want to talk about. This means focusing on the user experience, the emotional connection, and the "wow" factor from the outset.
Minimum Marketable Product (MMP): Beyond just being lovable to a handful of users, your initial product needs to have the legs to actually gain traction in the market. This involves considering:
Clear Value Proposition: Is the benefit to the user immediately obvious and compelling?
Target Audience Resonance: Does it truly speak to the needs and desires of a specific, well-defined audience?
Initial Go-to-Market Viability: Can you actually reach and acquire these early users effectively?
What This Means for Product Teams
Adopting an MLP/MMP mindset has significant implications for how we plan and execute:
Deeper Upfront Understanding: It requires an even more profound empathy for users and their emotional drivers, not just their functional needs.
Prioritization with Polish: You still need to be ruthless with scope, but the features you do build need a higher degree of polish and attention to detail in the user experience.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Design and engineering aren't just executing on a spec; they are integral to crafting that "lovable" experience from concept to launch. Marketing and sales insights also become crucial earlier in defining what's "marketable."
Strategic Experimentation: While you're aiming for lovable, you still need to validate. Experiments should be designed not just to test functionality but also to gauge emotional response and market resonance.
The bar has been raised. Shipping a bare-bones MVP might get you some data, but it's unlikely to get you loyal customers or sustained growth in today's competitive environment. Aim for lovable. Aim for marketable.
What are your experiences with moving beyond the traditional MVP?
