Proof of concept (POC) is a prototype or early demonstration of a concept or idea made to validate the feasibility of a product. It traditionally involves creating a small-scale version of a product or service to test its functionality and market potential. It’s a common practice for all companies, including startups, to conduct testing to avoid failures on release. POC can tell you a lot about the future product, its lifespan, vulnerability, and potential. Let’s look at some famous examples of companies that used a safe path and tested their products with POC:
- Dropbox: Dropbox is a cloud-based storage service that used a POC to validate the market demand for its product. The company created a video demonstration of its product and posted it on Hacker News and Reddit, generating a significant amount of interest and feedback. This validation helped the company secure funding and move forward with development.
- Twitter: Twitter used a POC to test the feasibility of its microblogging platform. The company created a small-scale version of its platform and tested it with a small group of users, gathering feedback and refining the product before launching it to a broader audience.
- Amazon: Amazon used a POC to validate the market potential for its Amazon Prime subscription service. The company created a small-scale version of the service, offering free shipping to a small group of users. The success of this POC validated the demand for the service, which has since become a significant source of revenue for the company.
- Tesla: Tesla used a POC to validate the feasibility of its electric car technology. The company created a prototype electric sports car and tested it extensively, gathering feedback and refining the design before launching it to the market.
- Google: Google used a POC to validate the market potential for its search engine technology. The company created a small-scale version of the search engine and tested it with a small group of users, gathering feedback and refining the product before launching it to a wider audience.
MVP
MVP is shortened for Minimum Viable Product, which is a technique of development that accentuates the creation of a product with the minimum functions necessary to meet early customers and collect feedback for future development stages. It is designed to validate the concept quickly and have reviews from early adopters, which can then be used to develop and expand the product. Just like POC, MVP aims at saving development costs. It helps with budget calculations and identifying profitable ideas. Sometimes the idea might sound just right but when the developers get down to the implementation, it overruns all possible budgets and timelines. Developing MVP is affordable and recommended regardless of the budget size you have. Let’s take a look at the companies that have successfully implemented such practices:
- Dropbox: Dropbox’s MVP was a simple video that demonstrated the functionality of the product. It allowed the company to validate the market demand for their cloud-based storage service and gather feedback from early users.
- Airbnb: Airbnb’s MVP was a simple website that listed the founders’ apartments and offered guests the opportunity to rent a room. The MVP allowed the company to test the concept of peer-to-peer home sharing and gather feedback from early adopters.
- Uber: Uber’s MVP was a simple app that allowed users to hail a ride from their phones. The MVP allowed the company to validate the market demand for their ride-hailing service and gather feedback from early users.
- Instagram: Instagram’s MVP was a simple photo-sharing app with limited functionality. The MVP allowed the company to test the concept of a social media platform focused on visual content and gather feedback from early users.
- Zappos: Zappos’ MVP was a simple online shoe store with limited inventory. The MVP allowed the company to test the market demand for their online shoe store concept and gather feedback from early customers.
Final thoughts
The principal contrast between POC and MVP is the focal point of every method. POC is principally centered around approving the specialized plausibility of thought, while MVP is centered around testing the market potential and get-together input from early adopters. POC is normally utilized in the beginning phases of improvement before an item or administration has been completely characterized. In contrast, MVP is utilized after an item or administration has been characterized, and the emphasis is on trying its market potential.