3 MVP Types That Won’t Waste Your Time

You’re Overthinking the MVP

Let’s be real — most MVPs are bloated, overbuilt, and launched too late.

Founders waste months designing features nobody asked for.
They chase perfection before they have proof.
Then they launch to… silence.

Your MVP isn’t supposed to be a product.
It’s supposed to be a test.

If it takes you 3 months and £3,000 to validate a simple idea — you’re doing it wrong.

In this article, I’ll show you 3 MVP styles that actually work — fast, scrappy, and user-focused. No fluff. No code (unless you want to). Just traction.

The Real Purpose of an MVP

“MVP” has become this startup buzzword people throw around without really understanding it.

Some think it means:

• A buggy version of your full product
• A half-finished app
• A beta you ship while apologising for it

All wrong.

Here’s what an MVP actually is:

The smallest version of your solution that helps someone solve a real problem — and gives you proof they want it.

That’s it.

If it doesn’t validate the problem…
If it doesn’t generate feedback…
If it doesn’t lead to revenue (or the clear path to it)…

It’s not an MVP. It’s just a project.

Most MVPs fail not because the product is bad — but because they never got tested with real users in the first place.

Now let’s talk about the 3 MVP types that will save you time, energy, and cash.

The 3 MVP Types That Actually Work

These aren’t theory. These are real MVP formats used by bootstrapped founders, indie hackers, and scrappy startup teams — to validate ideas before building anything big.

🔧 MVP Type 1: The “Manual First” MVP

You do the work manually before building any software.

Example:
You want to build a content calendar tool?
Start by offering to build one manually in Google Sheets for 5 people.
You do the setup, updates, and reminders yourself.

If people pay and stick with it → you’ve got validation.

Why it works:

• You learn what features actually matter
• You stay close to the user
• You avoid building features no one wants

🧪 MVP Type 2: The “Fake Door” MVP

You test demand before building the product.

Example:
Create a landing page describing your product.
Add a “Sign Up” or “Buy Now” button.
When users click it, show a “Coming Soon” or waitlist page.
Track interest and collect emails.

Why it works:

• You test messaging and value prop early
• You learn if anyone wants what you’re building
• You don’t waste time coding for ghosts

🧰 MVP Type 3: The “No-Code Stack” MVP

You use tools like Notion, Airtable, Zapier, Glide, Tally, or Softr to create a functioning product — with zero development.

Example:
You want to build a course recommendation engine.
You build a form (Tally), feed data into Airtable, and manually email the best-fit course each week.

Why it works:

• You create a usable experience
• You prove people want the solution
• You can launch in a weekend

Which MVP Type Should You Use (and When)?

Each MVP style has a purpose. It’s not one-size-fits-all.

Here’s how to choose the right one based on your stage and idea:

🟢 Use “Manual First” MVP when:

• You’re solving a service-heavy or habit-based problem
• You want to stay close to the user
• You’re figuring out which features actually matter

Perfect for:
B2B tools, operations platforms, coaching, productivity apps, or anything behaviour-based.

🟡 Use “Fake Door” MVP when:

• You’re still unsure if people want the product
• You want to test the message, not the build
• You need early signals with zero build time

Perfect for:
New SaaS ideas, digital products, features inside an existing product.

🔵 Use “No-Code Stack” MVP when:

• You want to offer a real, usable solution
• You don’t have a dev or budget
• You want to launch publicly and learn fast

Perfect for:
Marketplaces, tools, newsletters, community platforms, light SaaS.

Here’s the real takeaway:

If your MVP costs more than £100 or takes more than 2 weeks, it’s probably too complex.

Your job isn’t to “build something cool.”
Your job is to find out if anyone cares — before you waste time scaling a ghost town.

To wrap things up;

Here’s the truth no one tells you:

Most MVPs fail because the founder was building for themselves, not for real people.

They spent weeks polishing a product no one asked for.
Launched it into silence.
Then wondered why nothing happened.

Don’t be that founder.

Start smaller.
Launch earlier.
Talk to users faster.

Your MVP’s job is not to impress — it’s to reveal.
Reveal demand. Reveal friction. Reveal if it’s worth building at all.

💬 Try this today:

Take your product idea and ask:

“How could I fake or manually deliver the value of this — this week — with no code, no spend?”

Write that down.
Do it.
That’s your MVP.