MVP Checklist for Non-Technical Founders: What to Decide Before You Pay for a Build

An MVP (minimum viable product) is the smallest version of your product that real users can use to do one important job, so you can learn whether they want it before spending more. As a non-technical founder, you do not need to know how to code to build one well. You need to decide what the one job is, who it is for, what you will test before building, which accounts you will own, and how you will measure success. With those decisions made, a focused MVP usually takes 8 to 16 weeks after a 2 to 4 week clickable prototype, and our app and software MVPs start from USD 8,000 to USD 10,000.

We use Bizi, the US classroom rewards app we build and ship on the App Store and Google Play from one Flutter codebase, as the example.

1. Write down the one job

Finish this sentence: "[Who] uses [product] to [do one job] instead of [what they do today]." If you cannot fit it in one sentence, the MVP is too big. Everything that does not serve that job goes on a "later" list, not in the first build.

2. Split must-haves from later

• Must-have: the screens and steps needed to do the one job from start to finish
• Must-have: sign-up or sign-in, if users need an account, and the basic admin you need to run it
• Later: extra roles, reports, integrations, settings and nice-to-have screens
• Later: anything you want "because competitors have it" but users have not asked for

3. Test a clickable prototype before you build

A clickable prototype is a working mock of the main screens that you can put in front of five to ten target users. Watch them try the one job without helping. It costs a fraction of the build and catches the misunderstandings that would otherwise be paid for in code. Our prototypes usually take 2 to 4 weeks.

4. Web app, mobile app, or both?

Start where your users already are. A web app is fastest to launch and update and suits work done at a desk. A mobile app suits people on the move, notifications and camera or location features. If you need both iPhone and Android, Flutter builds both from one codebase, which is how Bizi ships every feature to both stores at the same time.

5. Own everything from day one

• The domain name and the code repository, in your company's name
• Cloud hosting and database accounts, with you as the owner
• An Apple Developer account (USD 99 a year) and a Google Play developer account (USD 25 one-time) in your company's name
• A contract that assigns the code and designs to your company on payment

6. Plan the launch requirements

• A privacy policy and terms of use that match what the product actually collects
• In-app account deletion, which Apple and Google require for apps with sign-up
• Extra care for children's data under COPPA if under-13s may use it, and for student data in schools
• Store listings, screenshots and time for App Review before your launch date

7. Decide how you will measure success

Pick one or two numbers before launch, such as how many users complete the one job in their first week, or how many come back the week after. Add basic analytics and an easy way for users to send feedback. These numbers, not opinions, decide what goes into version two.

What does an MVP cost and how long does it take?

Our app MVPs start from USD 8,000 and software MVPs from USD 10,000, for a focused first version. A clickable prototype usually takes 2 to 4 weeks, and an MVP 8 to 16 weeks, depending on the number of screens, roles and integrations. Keep part of your budget for the months after launch: real users always ask for changes, and app stores and phone systems need updates.