MVP vs SLC projects
MVP and SLC – we explain the acronyms and why you might want to keep your projects simple.
A bit of an introduction
Most products and websites are still approached using the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) development strategy to build something small and inexpensive. MVP requires a lot of upfront work but ultimately creates a product in the early stages of its development that customers can use. Then, steady incremental improvements are made based on user feedback, which leads to the final product. An alternative process is to develop something that is simpler, but completely functional for the user from the very beginning. This is where Simple, Lovable and Complete (SLC) development strategies come into play.
The problem with MVP
The MVP strategy contains the minimum core features of a product to be effectively ready for deployment. What this means is that developers behind the product focus solely on functionality rather than other features such as aesthetics and usability. The aim of this is to try to have a product that works when launched and that they can use as a starting point. However, this creates more work as issues are more likely to occur since the product is rushed. Furthermore, users don’t like seeing the basic skeleton of a product and won’t enjoy using something that isn’t finished.
The most sensible approach to building a product that is productive is to not cut corners, and therefore user wants and needs should be prioritised. User experience has become more and more important in recent years. Nearly everyone has a laptop, phone or device that has access to the internet. With a wealth of information, services and applications at their fingertips, people expect to quickly be able to find what they’re looking for. And if they can’t, what’s to stop them just clicking back and looking for an alternative? Users who don’t enjoy the experience will simply look elsewhere, which highlights one of the major problems of MVPs.
Simple, Lovable and Complete
With the intent to build a product that is a minimum and get the final result to users as soon as possible, it may ultimately deter users as the product will be incomplete and not meet their expectations. MVPs can therefore be damaging for a new product or business, and as brand image is so important online, the negative effects of an MVP could be significant.
It could be argued that a better alternative to building a product is by following the Simple, Lovable and Complete (SLC) approach.
- Simple vs Minimum: In order for a product to be delivered quickly, it must be simple. A product does not need to do everything, as long as the product never claimed to do more that it does. By following the SLC approach we can understand that constant development is not needed to reach its initial value. Product teams should adopt an ever-growing attitude towards their product; this way the outcomes and next steps are better.
- Viable vs Lovable: Viable synonyms are both workable and practical. However, you cannot build a product based upon functionality alone. When something has been cared for more, it becomes more valuable. Therefore, it is important to follow a simple structure leading up to a better overall product that has more meaning behind it.
- Completed vs Complete: There is a staggering difference between a product being completed and complete; being completed entails there are no further additions, ultimately users have to accept the final product because they were not promised more than what was initially delivered. However, by understanding that a product is not yet completed, it can indulge a user’s curiosity as there could be additional features to enjoy at a later period in time.
How Google successfully used SLC
By adopting the SLC approach efforts can be refocused to deliver something that has more realistic outcomes instead of just the minimum results. Further down the line, existing users could be queried to help determine what the next version should contain, instead of having testers and users asking when something is going to be fixed.
To illustrate, Google released an early version of Google Workspace which was a huge success, despite it being very simple. Users loved it because it was complete, and while it wasn’t yet ready to challenge Microsoft Word, it was good enough to convince people to wait for the full version. If they’d gone with the MVP strategy, they’d probably have received more mixed reviews.
Product development and design
Here at We Create Digital, our team of developers and designers have experience in creating websites and a range of web applications. Feel free to contact us today for help with any of your projects. We can help you build something from the ground up, or we can provide assistance and act as an extension of your team if you require some additional help. Take a look at our previous work to see some of the projects we’ve worked on in the past.