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No Code Tools for Building MVPs

3/7/2023

Info

This document is a work in progress. I'm building it for the Murmur Labs team to use as a guide for how we can experiment with ideas with no/low code tooling.

One of the most important things to consider when exploring an idea for a product is how can I make something fast to validate my idea?

There are some basic mindsets that you need for this kind of product development:

  • keep making your idea as small as possible. This doesn't mean sacrifice the desired outcome, it just means to reduce all the things you want it to be to the most important thing you want to try out.
  • get it out as quickly as possible based on your smallest idea.
  • think about as "hacking" and not "building". Hacking has room for tolerance and a willingness to scrap it later.

Questions to ask

  • what do I want to learn?
  • What is the smallest possible thing I could build to see if I can learn about product market fit?
  • Do I need to collect user information (emails for a waitlist for example)?
  • Can I ship it without a custom domain?

The Right Tools For The Job

The first thing to do once you've decided what you're hacking on, is to ask "what category of tool do I need to hack this together?"

There are a few categories to consider:

  • Forms
  • Landing Pages
  • Prototypes
  • Chatbots
  • Functional Apps

Forms

Forms are a great way to learn specific things about your target audience.

Benefits of Forms for MVPs

You can create quizzes, surveys, even single question. The main benefits of using forms are:

  • Collect targeted feedback
  • Cost-effective
  • Quick feedback loop
  • Low-risk
  • Scalable
  • Collect potential user emails

Downsides of Forms for MVPs

Some of the downsides to using forms for an MVP:

  • Limited feedback
  • No direct functionality
  • Limited customization
  • Limited testing
  • User engagement

No Code Form Builders

Here are a few no code form builders that people generally use for MVPs:

Landing Pages

Landing pages are a higher fidelity MVP solution than forms, because they usually require more design (even if you're building with no-code).

Benefits of Landing Pages for MVPs

Some of the benefits of using landing pages for finding product-market fit:

  • Easy to create
  • Test messaging and value proposition
  • Track engagement
  • Cost-effective
  • Low-risk
  • Collect potential user emails

Downsides of Prototypes for MVPs

Some downsides to using prototypes for MVPs:

  • No functionality
  • User experience
  • Limited data
  • Limited customization
  • Time investment

No Code Landing Page Builders

There are a few well known landing page builders for hacking together MVPs:

Prototypes

Prototypes are higher fidelity than Landing pages. On top of needing design, you need to also be aware of the user flows.

If you're going to build a prototype, it's good to know that you're on the right track based on insights from forms or landing pages.

Benefits of Prototypes for MVPs

Some of the benefits of using prototypes as an MVP for finding product-market fit:

  • Visual representation
  • Interactive testing
  • Collaboration
  • Low-cost
  • Fast feedback loop

Downsides of Prototypes for MVPs

Prototypes are a great way to see how a user will use your MVP.

  • Limited functionality
  • Unrealistic expectations
  • Time investment
  • Technical skills
  • Limited interactivity

No Code Prototype Builders

There are a few tools that are great for building prototypes for MVPs:

Chatbots

Chatbots are a great way to test an MVP, because they allow you to test an MVP without needing to worry about the visual aesthetics and focus on the workflows and interactivity that the user will experience.

Benefits to Chatbots for MVPs

Some of the benefits of using chatbots when creating an MVP:

  • Interactive testing
  • Personalization
  • Scalability
  • Low-cost
  • Fast feedback loop
  • Focus on underlying value proposition

Downsides to Chatbots for MVPs

While a chatbot can be a great way to create an MVP, they also come with some disadvantages:

  • Limited conversation
  • Dependencies
  • User experience
  • Limited customization
  • Complexity

No Code Chatbot Builders

There aren't any chatbot builders that I know of. Why aren't there no code chatbot builders?!

You could use a few nocode tools to stitch together a chatbot builder (mileage may vary):

Functional Apps

Functional apps ideally should be what you start to build when you know that people want what you have told them they could have.

Starting with a functional app reduces the amount of learning you can do for the amount of time you'll invest into making it.

Make sure you have a good MVP of what you're going to build and know that it's just the starting point to building something better.

Benefits to Functional Apps for MVPs

Some of the benefits of using functional apps to create a MVP:

  • Customizability
  • Functionality
  • Integration
  • Scalability
  • Low-code programming

Downsides to Functional Apps for MVPs

Some of the downsides to using functional apps to create an MVP:

  • Time investment
  • Complexity
  • Limited functionality
  • Maintenance
  • Deployment

No Code Functional App Builders

There are a few functional app builders:

Chase Adams