How to Kick-Off the Design of an MVP
Four tips for any UX designer joining a start-up
In January 2016 I joined one of the fastest-growing startups in surgical education. The company already had an incredibly successful app on the market being used by over 2 million people worldwide.
My task was to lead the research and design of a brand new product (a video-based platform for surgical residency programs) to help residents (trainee surgeons) prepare and rehearse for procedures using their attending surgeon’s preferred approaches and specific techniques.
A year later and we’ve just released our minimum viable product to around 10 prestigious programs in the US and UK! It’s been a rollercoaster ride to get here but we’ve learnt heaps!
Here’s my advice for anyone designing a new product for a start-up:
1. Get to know everything you can about your industry
Read: When I joined the company I didn’t know the first thing about medical education so I spent hours each day searching online for any information which could shine some light into this new world. I browsed the websites of surgical training institutions, scoured industry forums, searched for news articles and skimmed through academic journals, etc. I also meticulously dissected all the research that previous designers had done before me.
Connect: I also was lucky enough to be connected to surgeons in the US through the founders of the company (who were previously surgeons themselves). I set up weekly calls with a Program Director (a senior teaching surgeon) in New York and got the low down from an industry expert on what makes them tick and what they want from our product.
Live it: There is no better way to gain a deep understanding of your industry than experiencing it for yourself. Six weeks after joining the company I spent a week immersed in a residency program in NYC, interviewing and shadowing our target users and gaining insights into the highs and lows of teaching and learning surgery. It was fascinating!
2. Get to grips with the business goals
Speak to the founders: Understand their vision. It is important to hear from the founders themselves to find out where they want to take the product. There are hundreds of pain-points in surgical education that could be addressed but it’s essential, as a designer, that you are aware and can align with where the founders want to take the company.
3. Break the problem down
Workshops: Everyone had a similar vision for the end product though how we planned to get there was an area of great misalignment. I found facilitating workshops with various stakeholders (both internal and external) helped us to find a consistent way forward for the product. By getting everyone in the same room, to break down their wants, needs and concerns, we were able to discuss and debate a range opinions and work through the differences until we came to an alignment.
Create a product roadmap: I worked closely with my Product Owner to create a high-level roadmap for our product. We continually iterate the roadmap based on input from stakeholders and real users. The initial three-months of the plan were well defined and it was very clear what our team were aiming to deliver (design and engineering). However, working in an agile environment means that you’re able to react quickly to feedback and therefore future plans are quite flexible and less detailed.
4. Don’t wait — get your product out the door and listen to feedback
Iterate: Finally, just start designing and building your product. Show it, demo it and test it with people ASAP. The sooner your users can try, play and experience your product, the more valuable and informed their feedback will be!
Market feedback and usability insights are so important to making a successful product. The earlier you get this, the less time and effort you waste building something that nobody wants or can’t use and the more time you can spend on designing and building the right thing that will solve real problems and delight users.
We’ve still got a long way to go and are continuing to learn each day.
I’d love to hear your comments or questions so please feel free to add them below. Thanks!
