I Want My MVP - How to test your assumptions and reduce waste when developing digital products

I want my MVP

1

UX Bristol - 13th June 2016

PILOT WORKS

[email protected] PILOT WORKS2

Hello, I am Alastair from

We do discovery

PILOT WORKS

mailto:[email protected]


What shall we build?


[email protected] PILOT WORKS



You’re interested in ways to minimise time wasted making products/services/features

that don’t create value or help you learn

Assumption



Hypothesis

If I show you the following statement

then, on my count of three, 90% of you will stand up and shout ‘Hell yeah!’

because you agree (and you think it’s a bit of fun).



I’m interested in ways to minimise time wasted making products/services/features that don’t

create value or help my team learn!



How?



Start with user needs.


PILOT [email protected] 10

Design Thinking



Someone’s idea

But…



Other ways?

Someone’s idea



Someone’s idea ?

Other ways?

But…











Nobody cared







MVP Minimum Viable Product





MVP Minimum Viable Product



The minimum viable product is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort.

Eric ReisDoesn’t

need to

be a product



Minimum viable product is the smallest possible product that is valuable, usable and feasible

Marty Cagan

Release #1





To: Discovery teamFrom: Dave - Head of Digital at AsisSubject: Pershop

Dear team,As you know, we’re an online fashion and lifestyle retailer aimed at trendy 20 somethings. We want to launch a ‘personal shopper’ service on our site that uses bots and algorithms to recommend products through live chat-style ‘conversations’ with users. Kind of like Slack. We’ve run some numbers and think we can improve conversion by 5%!

Please do some discovery so we can scope it and get started.

Thanks!Dave



Can we build it? Should we build it?



Where do we start?



Landing page or smoke testStep 1: Identify ‘leap of faith’ assumptionsWhat has to be true for this to work?



Time Out iPad app assumptions

People need things to do in London

People will want to browse things to do on an iPad

People need help finding things to

do they’ll likePeople will choose to download the

app

People will make purchases

through the app

People will use the app repeatedly



High risk

Low risk

UnknownLow impact

Assumptions mapping



In pairs

Review the idea

List 5 assumptions on your sheet

Choose the riskiest

3 minsExercise 1: Assumptions



Some assumptions I made earlier

1. Trendy 20 somethings need help choosing clothes 2. They are looking for help 3. They will try the Pershop service 4. They will engage long enough to get suggestions 5. They will like the suggestions 6. A higher proportion will convert than normal



What next?



Step 2: Test riskiest assumptions using an MVP



Sell it first Slice

Types of MVP

Prototype Manual

Want it?











MVP type 1: Sell it first

Landing page Crowd fundingVideo demo



Fake door

Reports

Thanks for your suggestion

We now offer <Customers per day> reports.

Dear user

Make a report

…some time later

Sell it first MVP

Reports aren’t quite ready, what were you hoping to do?

Customers per day

What kind of report?



Sell It First MVP: What assumptions can I test this way?

People see potential in my value propostion

People will pay for my solution

People have the need that my value prop

addresses

People will like it so much they’ll refer

friends

People can use my solution

My solution delivers on the

value prop

Yes Depends No



Sell it first Slice

Types of MVP

Prototype Manual

Want it?



Prototype MVP

Paper Lo-fi Hi-fi

✓flow and IA ✗ realistic reactions

✓collaborative ✗ iteration/sharing

✓realistic reactions✗ too good?

Faster Slower



Assumptions you can test with a Prototype MVP

Yes Depends No


addresses

People will sign up / pay for my solution

My solution delivers on the value prop


friends


My solution is usable



Sell it first Slice

Types of MVP

Prototype Manual

Want it?



Concierge

Manual MVP



Wizard of oz Flint-stoning

Manual MVP

a.k.a



Flintstoning

Manual MVP



Assumptions you can test with a Manual MVP

Yes Depends No

People can use my solution


addresses

People will sign up/pay for my solution



friends

I can deliver this proposition with

software




Sell it first Slice

Types of MVP

Prototype Manual

Want it?



Minimum viable product is the smallest possible product that is valuable, usable and feasible

Marty Cagan

A.K.A release #1



Feasible

Valuable

Usable

Delightful

Usable

Delightful

Via Jussi Pasanen, @jopas

Not this slice This slice

Slice MVP

Feasible

Valuable



http://blog.crisp.se/2016/01/25/henrikkniberg/making-sense-of-mvp

If you’re lucky



Slice by

Target persona Find early

adopters



Slice by

Use case



Slice by

Category



Slice by

Location



Remove anything that does not

A) Enable the user to achieve their goal

B) Support the uniqueness of your value prop

C) Help you test your assumptions



Assumptions you can test with a Slice MVP

Yes Depends No

People will sign up/pay for my solution




addressesMy solution is

usable



Sell it first Slice

Types of MVP

Prototype Manual

Want it?



Step 2: Designing your test



Hypothesis

If I show you the following statement

then, on my count of three, 90% of you will stand up and shout ‘Hell yeah!’

because you agree (and you think it’s a bit of fun).



Creating a hypothesis statement:

If we send traffic from the homepage to iPad app landing page with a button to download the app

then 10 percent of users will click the button

because they see value in the app proposition

Sell It First MVP



Creating a hypothesis statement: Prototype

If we show our prototype to 6 urban mums who work out of the house

then at least 4 will ask when they can use it for real

because they see themselves using it



Eric Ries’ 3 As of metrics

Actionable

Accessible

Audit-able

Clear cause and effect, timely

Easily available to team

Recorded, verifiable



• In your pairs

• Choose an MVP test for your riskiest assumption

• Describe your test by filling out the sheet

• Finished? Do another using the back of the sheet.

15 minsExercise 2: MVP tests



How was that?



Recap

• Seek to minimise waste

• Ask ‘Should we build it?’

• Identify riskiest assumptions

• Test them using MVPs

• Repeat!



@tsharon@ericries @jboogie @cagan

Further reading



Thank you!@docket

[email protected]



Appendix



Experiment number: 1

Type: Fake Door

Assumption tested: They will try the Pershop service

Hypothesis

If we create a pop up message advertising our Pershop service asking for an email address to be invited,

then 10% of who see it will give a valid email address

because they want to try the Pershop service.

Metrics

Conversion rate on pop up

Example “Asis - Pershop”

Background

Assumptions

1. trendy 20 somethings need help choosing clothes

2. they will try the Pershop service

3. they will engage long enough to get suggestions

4. they will like the suggestions

5. a higher proportion will convert than normal

Successful online fashion and lifestyle retailer aimed at trendy 20 somethings wants to launch a ‘personal shopper’ service on their site that uses bots and algorithms to recommend products based on live chat style ‘conversations’ with users. They expect Pershop to increase overall conversion by 0.5%.

MVP Experiment



Experiment number: 2

Type: Wizard of oz

Assumption tested: 3 and 4

Hypothesis

If we deliver the service using live chat to 100 people with a human stylist making suggestions, make a recommendation

then 5% will buy the item on the same visit.

Metrics

Percentage of users who reach suggestion

Percentage of users who click through to product page

Percentage of users who purchase product

Example “Asis - Pershop”

Background

Assumptions

1. trendy 20 somethings need help choosing clothes

2. they will try the Pershop service

3. they will engage long enough to get suggestions

4. they will like the suggestions

5. a higher proportion will convert than normal

Successful online fashion and lifestyle retailer aimed at trendy 20 somethings wants to launch a ‘personal shopper’ service on their site that uses bots and algorithms to recommend products based on live chat style ‘conversations’ with users. They expect Pershop to increase overall conversion by 0.5%.

MVP Experiment


Business

I Want My MVP - How to test your assumptions and reduce waste when developing digital products