MVP (minimum viable product)
The smallest version of a product with which real users can already complete one important job from start to finish.
Glossary · Apps & products
An MVP (minimum viable product) is neither a half-finished product nor a demo. It is a first version in which one scenario works end to end and which people can genuinely use.
Its purpose is to check that the product solves a real problem before investing in everything that seems necessary. What is left out of the first version is not thrown away: it is postponed until it is clear what users actually miss.
The most common mistake is to call a feature list that simply ran out of budget an MVP. A good definition of a first version starts with a question: what is the one thing a person must be able to do for the product to be useful to them?