Joe Rogan and Dana White. Margot Robbie and Emma Mackey. Will Ferrell and Chad Smith. The Rock and Dwayne Johnson.
These are all celebs that people mistakenly believe are the same person. We know, we know…the last one was a joke.
Prototypes and MVPs often suffer the same fate. Because they’re both involved in the initial stages of the product life cycle, it’s not uncommon for the terms to be used interchangeably thinking they refer to the same thing.
But in the infamous words of The Rock, “it doesn’t matter what you think!”. MVPs and prototypes are actually two different approaches to early testing - best deployed at different stages of the development cycle - despite both ensuring that you can explore possibilities, reduce risk, and not waste valuable resources on a product that’s misaligned with user needs.
Don’t underestimate just how important these stages are, either. We don’t need to tell you that launching a new product can be a big leap, especially when you’re navigating uncharted digital territory, meaning it’s never a good idea to bring your ideas to life by diving in headfirst without testing the waters.
But what exactly is the difference between a prototype and MVP, when should each approach be deployed, and how can combining them ensure an agile strategy that sets your digital project on the path to success? We’ve got you covered…
Prototypes
What is a prototype?
If you’re anything like us, your head is probably full of big ideas and innovations. Auto-drying clothes, dehydrated pizza, sleep-inducing alpha rhythm generators…sure these are all stolen from the Back to the Future franchise, but you get the point.
Prototypes are a way of giving a form to these ideas, turning them from a concept in your head into something tangible. It’s an early model of your product—an initial attempt to see if your concept works, gather feedback, and refine it. Think of prototypes as your chance to experiment without fully committing. They allow you to try different directions, see what resonates with users, and make adjustments based on early feedback.
The different types of prototypes
Unlike making a morning brew, there’s no one set way to make a prototype (seriously, what is this monstrosity?).
They can vary widely in size, detail, and effort depending on the time, effort, and skill level you dedicate to them. From something as simple as a sketch on paper to a mock-up that’s interactive, prototypes typically range between three fidelity-types:
- Low-fidelity prototypes typically encompass low-scale efforts like sketches or basic wireframes. These are rough, often hand-drawn layouts that help you map out the structure of your product without any frills, and are best-suited for gathering early feedback on user flows
- Medium-fidelity prototypes are more interactive mockups that give users a feel of how your product might function, giving you the opportunity to explore in more detail how interactions will work in tandem with layout and navigation.
- High-fidelity prototypes are detailed, clickable prototypes that closely mimic the actual product experience, making them best-suited to the later stages of testing processes where you’re seeking specific feedback on design and usability.
For low-fidelity prototypes, you might not need more than a pen and some paper - old school, right? Of course, this depends on its overall use case and audience. While a basic sketch of what your user interface might look like is fine for initial ideation between departments, if you want something to introduce to investors or stakeholders, it may be worth getting one of your designers on board to create something a little more visually appealing.
On the other hand, higher-fidelity prototypes may be worth designing in a digital environment so that you can create a slightly more functional mock-up. There are plenty of tools available to help with this that vary in capability and complexity - we’d recommend starting with Figma.
Why prototypes matter
Prototypes are most beneficial internally, helping to communicate ideas with design and development teams to ensure everyone is aligned when it comes to the product vision.
Why does this matter? Well, it helps to save time, money, energy, and resources by highlighting what’s working and what’s not before you jump into full development. Can you imagine how costly it would be to spend years developing a sleep-inducing alpha rhythm generator before realising it, uh, doesn’t exist for a reason?
But this is exactly the point of prototyping - it allows your team to catch and fix issues early, keeping everyone on the same page throughout and avoiding the disastrous scenario of investing heavily in a design that may not deliver.
MVPs
What is an MVP?
While fans of US sports like basketball and American throw-egg may associate the acronym with ‘most valuable player’, in this context, MVP stands for ‘minimum viable product’.
But what does that actually mean?
Well, an MVP is a functional product with only the essential features. In other words, it’s the bare minimum you need to address the problem you’re trying to solve for your customers.
MVPs come after you’ve validated your concept with a prototype because, unlike prototypes, they’re designed for market testing—released to early adopters to gauge whether your product meets real-world needs and solves the problem it set out to address.
A good way of remembering it is that an MVP goes beyond testing an idea; it tests demand.
Instead of launching with every possible feature, the MVP approach focuses on your product’s core offering, collecting feedback to determine what users actually value. Think of it as a “learn as you go” phase. With each iteration, you’ll be adding features that users have shown genuine interest in.
Why MVPs Matter
MVPs offer three main benefits:
- Faster market entry: By focusing on only the core features that provide value, an MVP allows you to launch a product to market that builds awareness, attracts customers, and gathers feedback far quicker.
- Validate demand: Testing your product with real users before investing heavily in development means you’re able to confirm if the product resonates with your target audience and that there’s genuine demand in the market. Decisions around features can therefore be data-driven, enabling you to more effectively pivot, refine, or expand your offering.
- Foundation of user feedback: Launching an MVP creates a foundation for ongoing improvements by incorporating real user feedback, ensuring your product never strays from the actual wants and needs of your users.
By embracing these perks, MVPs reduce development costs and minimise the risk of building something nobody wants, allowing for quick iteration based on actual demand, feedback, and usage. This lean approach helps you save resources, avoid wasted effort, and increase your chances of long-term success - something invaluable to businesses both big and small.
Prototype vs MVP: the key differences
While it’s common to think prototypes and MVPs serve the same purpose, as we hope you’ve picked up on now, they’re actually designed for distinct phases of development.
That means, despite many thinking they look the same, there’s actually key differences between the two. When it comes to Joe Rogan and Dana White, for example, one’s a bald American media phenomenon, and the other is…well, OK, maybe that wasn’t the best example.
When it comes to prototypes and MVPs, however, the differences are a little more black and white:
When to use each: practical scenarios
So at which step of the development cycle is each one most valuable? Here’s when and how prototypes and MVPs play a vital role in a digital project:
Use Prototypes When…
- You’re refining an idea: Early prototypes offer a quick, cost-effective way to understand what’s possible and what your users respond to.
- You’re working out user flows and navigation: Prototypes let you visualise and refine the user experience.
- You’re aligning stakeholders: Prototypes are a perfect tool for ensuring everyone on the team has the same vision, reducing misunderstandings.
Use MVPs When…
- You’re ready to test market demand: An MVP is your product’s debut in the real world, with just enough functionality to attract early adopters.
- You want to build based on user feedback: MVPs are designed to collect data on which features users value most, giving you a roadmap for future development.
- You’re aiming to scale strategically: With an MVP, you can focus on what works and avoid investing in features or functionalities that don’t matter to users.
Let’s take everyone’s* favourite streaming service, Spotify, as an example.
Spotify launched its MVP back in 2006 - a simpler time before selfie sticks, Lad Baby, and James Cordon. It was also a time before music streaming, with CDs (remember those?) and digital downloads from the iTunes store (and slightly less legal alternatives like Limewire) dominating music consumption.
As such, Spotify needed to validate demand for their product by first ensuring that users actually wanted the option to stream music over owning it. So, they built an MVP that introduced the concept of streaming without all the extra features we know today, and launched a closed beta to test the product.
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with the freemium model proving very popular with users. And with this market validation, Spotify was able to roll out a full launch confident in their business model, building upon their product based on user feedback to add new in-demand features like playlists and a mobile app. Of course, the rest is history - with Spotify now boasting more than 640 million monthly users across the globe
*musicians and Tim Cook not included
The bottom line: crafting a strong, user-centric foundation
Prototypes and MVPs aren’t just phases in product development; they’re tools that ensure your product journey is intentional, aligned with user needs, and responsive to market demand. Skipping either step can lead to a product that misses the mark, but together, they provide a low-risk path from idea to launch. Think of prototypes as your map, guiding your initial steps, and the MVP as your compass, steering you based on real-world signals.
By taking the time to validate concepts and user demand in these early stages, you set your product up for long-term success. Just ensure you’re always staying customer-focused and data-driven, and avoid becoming emotionally attached - regardless of how much you like your prototype or MVP, never launch a product if the data and feedback suggests others don’t.
That’s because when it comes to digital development, there’s no room for guesswork. Using both prototypes and MVPs allows your team to build with confidence, clarity, and purpose, knowing that every step is informed by real feedback. For the digital underdogs aiming to compete with bigger players, these stages are your edge. They help you stay agile, refine quickly, and invest wisely.