PROOF OF CONCEPT

You have a bright idea about the HUGE service/product that will be definitely AWESOME.

But you don’t have the time to go out and build the app / produce a hardware/shoot all the content, and HOPE people paid you for it. That'd take months and probably a good amount of money.

Instead of pausing here to invest weeks or months into building your course, writing your book, developing an app or creating a complex website, we still want to make sure there's a (paying) demand for what you plan to build - before you actually go out and build it.

That's where building a simple proof of concept (POC) comes into play.

What is a Proof Of Concept?

Proof of Concept (PoC) is a process of finding out whether or not a product idea is feasible and viable in the real world. Is the idea practical? Does it bring unique value to the target group? Will users actually want to adopt the product or service? At what cost?

Proof of Concept is one of the key elements of the Lean Startup approach – the methodology every startup development project should adhere to in order to successfully launch a great new product.

How is Proof of Concept interlinked with Prototype and MVP?

Proof of Concept serves to validate functional and technical assumptions. It should be the first step in your app development process. If the product concept proves to be feasible and viable, you may proceed with designing a prototype.

Compared to a PoC, a prototype takes on a more concrete shape. Prototyping results in the creation of a simplified version of your product used mainly for user testing.

A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) lies a few more steps ahead. When defining an MVP, you should aim for the simplest version of your product that brings at least part of your product’s core value to your users, is aligned with your mission, and is market-ready.

This means that an MVP must already be visually attractive, useful, usable and functional so that you can launch it and attract first users, your product’s early adopters

Why do startups need a Proof of Concept?

The main purpose of conducting a Proof of Concept is to validate that the product concept will be viable on the market. The output of a PoC is basically just a “yes” or “no”, and that’s why many entrepreneurs are afraid to delve into it – they are worried that their beloved product idea might die way too early.

Such worries are very dangerous though. You should keep in mind that it’s never too early to fail! You might have a very exciting startup idea in mind and your co-founders, colleagues, and peers may be telling you this is the best app concept they’ve ever heard of. However, without the crucial PoC “look-in-the-mirror”, you can never be sure if your app idea is technically feasible and if the market will accept it.

Summary