Build a Winning MVP: Using Framing for Collaboration
Imagine this:
You want to test a complex idea with a small group of customers. Building the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) would require a cross-functional partnership with multiple teams with a small amount of effort and resources. During your MVP planning session, the team excitedly throws around feature ideas. While enthusiasm is terrific, an unfocused MVP risks overwhelming users and obscuring the core value proposition.
This is where Framing can help. By strategically presenting the MVP's scope, you can achieve team buy-in for a more focused approach.
But first, let's define what an MVP is.
An (MVP) is a lean, focused product with core usable features that solve a specific user problem—built with the least effort and resources to deliver value and test an idea to validate assumptions.
Build a Focused MVP with Team Buy-In
Team alignment is crucial for building successful products. For the MVP, with limited resources, focusing on too many features can dilute the message and hinder valuable user feedback. Framing offers a powerful tool to convince your team about the focused scope of your MVP.
The framing effect proposes that people make decisions based on how the information is presented or 'framed' rather than just on facts. The same information with facts presented differently can lead people to make decisions differently.
Framing allows you to present the MVP's scope in a way that resonates with your team's goals. Here are some strategies:
Highlighting Benefits vs. Features: Instead of listing technical features, frame the MVP around the user benefits it delivers. This shift in perspective helps the team understand how each feature contributes to the overall value proposition.
The Power of "Less is More": Frame a focused MVP as an opportunity to gather clear user feedback on a core set of functionalities. Reframe the limitations as a strategic advantage, allowing for rapid iteration based on user insights.
Decoy Effect for Prioritization: Introduce a hypothetical "full-featured" MVP as a decoy. By comparing it to the focused MVP, the team can see how a narrower scope allows for faster development, user testing, and course correction.
Create a Collaborative Environment
Framing isn't just about convincing your team; it's about creating a collaborative environment. Here are additional tips:
Shared Goals: Frame the MVP as a joint effort to validate the core concept to foster a sense of shared ownership and encourage team members to actively contribute to prioritizing features.
Transparency is Key: Clearly communicate the rationale behind the limited scope. Explain how a focused MVP provides valuable user feedback that will ultimately guide the product's future development.
Data-Driven Decisions: Frame the MVP testing phase as a data-gathering exercise. Emphasize the importance of user feedback in informing future feature development and help the team see the value of a focused initial approach.
Be Watchful of the Pitfalls
Be aware of the team dynamics and individual biases that might affect the framing process. Cross-functional teams with members from different departments with varying experience levels may have divergent perspectives on what constitutes a "focused" MVP. Additionally, cognitive biases such as confirmation bias or the sunk cost fallacy could hinder the team's ability to evaluate the proposed MVP scope objectively.
One way to overcome these pitfalls is to create a collaborative environment by facilitating open dialogue, encouraging diversity of thought, and implementing mechanisms for revisiting and revising the MVP scope based on new information or feedback.
By leveraging the power of framing and fostering a collaborative environment, you can convince your team about the benefits of a focused MVP. Remember, a well-defined scope allows you to gather meaningful user feedback, validate your core concept, and ultimately build a product that resonates with your target users. A focused MVP, strategically framed, can be the first step toward achieving your product potential and collaborative team environment.
