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MENTAL MODEL · M4114

Minimum Viable Product - MVP

Minimum Viable Product - MVP
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Updated 2026-08-01

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

Popularized by Eric Ries in The Lean Startup. An MVP is the minimum set of features needed to test the core hypothesis of a product with real users, not a stripped-down final release. Its purpose is to shorten the loop between assumption and evidence so that learning happens before heavy investment. Ries frames it as the smallest thing that generates validated learning, which is why an MVP can be a landing page, a concierge service, or a manual process rather than working software.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Hypothesis targeting: name the single assumption whose failure would kill the idea before anything is built. - Loop shortening: ship the smallest build that produces real user behavior. - Investment gating: commit serious engineering and marketing resources only after the evidence comes back.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

The method builds the smallest version of the loop that has to sustain the business, acquisition and value delivery and retention, and tests whether it can hold up on its own rather than merely demonstrating a feature. Because the target is commercial viability rather than completeness, the cheapest version that closes the loop still answers the question, and the answer arrives before the budget is spent on functions nobody has validated. A loop that cannot sustain itself fails no matter how well it is built, which is why the test is placed at the level of survival rather than of features.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_viable_productZH · Explicit
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