Even if you’re not a product manager, or in tech at all, you may be familiar with the term ‘minimum viable product’ or MVP.

In laymen’s terms, it essentially means a barebones prototype of a digital product you can test in the market to see if there’s any traction.

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The idea of focusing on an MVP was a pretty radical concept even just 15 years ago, challenging the assumption that you needed to have a fully functional and polished product before any sort of public release.

Instead, build and release an MVP, and iterate from there if it showed promise, sparing your teams costly throwaway work if it was a dud.

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As with everything, product development methodologies have evolved further, shifting focus to an MLP - minimum lovable product as the first crack.

The difference between MVP and MLP?

Even less functionality, but with enough usability, polish and delight that your users get excited about adopting and evangelizing it on your behalf.

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Or, instead of the 100 words I just force-fed to you about this topic, this “Intellectual Headshot” describes MVP and MLP quite well (via Adam Fard Studio):

In fact, this “Headshot” is so good, it’s been recreated and republished extensively, so much so that I couldn’t trace the original owner of it.

Even so, this side-by-side pyramid framework may still struggle to convey the message to non-technical audiences.

It relies on quite a bit of text, each layer of the pyramid potentially requiring its own voice-over.

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So here’s another take, using a visual metaphor of a cup of coffee (via Agilie):

Interesting, but almost too reductive. “We’re just supposed to make it pretty?”

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Here’s another, using an ice cream cone and even a mid-step called MMP (via Upsilon)

This is getting really close to memorable, executive-friendly visual distillation. But many would argue it’s misleading to suggest that MLP simply means adding "flair" to an MVP.

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Enter my favorite, using the metaphor of hauling (via Aaruni):

I think this one is the best balance of simplicity and nuance, making explicit that an MVP is actually more complex than an MLP.

In this example, an MVP of an 18-wheeler may be a stripped down version of an 18-wheeler, but you still have to build a functional 18-wheeler.

Instead, an MLP is actually the simplest usable product that can do a stripped down version of the job. Aka, a wheelbarrow.

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Now, apologies if I’ve lost you - this is a very cursory explanation of topics that have been discussed and debated at great depth by proper product SMEs for many years.

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But my point is this:

Imagine trying to explain any of this without a visual metaphor like the trucks, the coffee, or the ice cream cones.

Or without a framework like the stacked pyramids.

Or without any visuals at all.

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That’s the risk we run trying to verbally explain our expertise in the market.

Cue the confusion.

Cue the eye-glazing.

Cue the cerebral chaos.

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Visuals are the generous life preserver you offer to those who will never understand your domain at the depth that you do.

To get them from A-to-B mentally, without drowning.

And they make your job a hell of a lot easier too, if you just take the time to create them.

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💡

-Wes

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P.S. Still getting tongue-tied trying to explain your unique point of view?

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My 1:1 "Intellectual Headshots" sprints are now open for February.

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