Anatolii Pazhyn

CEO

Anatolii leads the company based on more than 15 years of experience in the IT business, deep technical knowledge and practical experience in building effective teams. As a CEO he sets high industry standards in software project development and eagerly shares his insights and vision with everyone who is as passionate about the topic as he is.

Business

9 min

PoC vs MVP: Which is Right for You

So you’ve got a brilliant idea for a new product or service. The gears are turning, work is brewing, and you cannot wait to get started. But where do you start? Do you build a proof of concept (PoC) to test the core functionality? Or go straight to a minimum viable product (MVP) to get real user feedback? The path you choose could make or break your venture. And the disappointing statistics that roughly 90% of startups end in failure reminds us that there is no need to rush when choosing an approach to creating new products. Building new products is always a balancing act. You want to move fast and get to market quickly. But you also need to make sure you're solving a genuine problem that people will pay for. A PoC lets you rapidly validate the technical feasibility, while an MVP focuses on validating the product-market fit. Both approaches have pros and cons. In this article, we'll explore the difference between POC and MVP and how to decide which is right for your specific goals. What is an MVP? An MVP, or minimum viable product, is basically the most bare-bones version of your product idea that you can release to real users. It has just enough core features to solve the essential problem and no more. The philosophy is to spend as little time and money as possible getting something out there so you can start gathering feedback right away. It's like making a really basic version, but one that people can actually use and pay for if they want. That way, you're not just asking people hypothetically if they'd use your product - you're getting real-world validation from people voting with their dollars. Some of today's biggest tech successes started as humble MVPs. Among these are Dropbox, Uber, and Amazon. Dropbox's MVP was just a basic file sharing service. Uber's was an app to request rides from Town Car services. Amazon started by just selling books online before expanding into everything else. Such examples inspire and make you believe that any startup can succeed. All you have to do is understand how it worked for them and try on the same solution. How an MVP Works To understand how this seemingly unpretentious approach works, let's look at an example. Let's say you're opening a new restaurant. A minimum viable product is like serving a simple, pared-down menu at first. Just the basics - a couple appetizers, entrees, and desserts. You're not trying to be a five-star eatery right out of the gate. The goal is to get that minimum viable grub out to potential customers quickly. See what they like, what they don't, and what's making them hungry for more. You study how people react to the limited offerings. Which dishes are hits? Which are duds? You get real feedback from real diners with real money on the line. It's like having a focus group that actually pays you! With those insights, you start iterating the menu based on what's working. The popular items stay, the flops get 86'd, and you bring in new dishes to test. Over time, you keep evolving the menu according to demand. Expanding portions, flavors, and variety as you better understand your customers' tastes. Before long, that barebones minimum viable product has leveled up into the full-fledged restaurant experience you genuinely envisioned. All because you started small and listened. Yet you can start with an even smaller and no less important step, which may precede your MVP development. It’s known as proof of concept.