The hardest design exercise
Designing the smallest useful version of your product is one of the hardest things you’ll do.
It’s not the same as designing the full vision. The full vision is easier in some ways — you can include everything you think the product will eventually need. The smallest useful version forces you to leave most of that out, while still making sure what remains genuinely works.
Done well, this design produces something rough but coherent. Users can use it. They can see the value. They can react. The product is small, but it’s real.
Done badly, you either over-build (and ship far later than you should) or under-build (and ship something that doesn’t test what you needed it to).
The key is being deliberate about three things: the slice you’re building, the polish level, ...
