Unit 3: Designing Your MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
Introduction: The Power of Paper
Before you write a single line of code, you need to know exactly what your app will do and how it will work. Paper prototyping is the fastest and cheapest way to test your ideas. It’s a simple process: you draw your app on paper, and then you “pretend” to use it by moving between the paper screens.
In the ITC Clubs competition, judges are looking for a clear and well-thought-out user experience. This lesson will show you how to find problems and fix them with an eraser, instead of spending hours coding and debugging.
Part 1: Identify Your Core Features
Every app has a few key functions that solve the main problem. These are the core features. All other features are “nice-to-haves” and should be ignored for now. Your paper prototype should only include the core features.
Example: A Farmer’s App
Problem: Farmers need a way to track their daily harvests and sales.
Core Features:
- A screen to add a new harvest (e.g., “Add 50 kg of maize”).
- A screen to see a list of past harvests.
- A screen to see a simple summary of total sales.
“Nice-to-Have” Features (Ignore for now):
- A feature to chat with other farmers.
- A complex weather forecasting tool.
- A detailed financial report with charts.
By focusing only on the core features, you can create a working prototype much faster.
Part 2: The Prototyping Process
Follow these steps to create your paper prototype:
Step 1: Gather Materials
Get a stack of blank paper (or sticky notes), a few pens or markers, and a pencil with an eraser. You will draw one screen on each sheet of paper.
Step 2: Draw Your Screens
Draw a simple rectangle on each page to represent a phone screen. Then, draw the user interface: buttons, text fields, and images. Use a pencil for now so you can erase mistakes.
Step 3: Add Interactive Elements
On each screen, draw the buttons that the user will click. Then, write a note on the button that says something like “-> Go to the next screen.”
Step 4: Conduct a User Test
Have a teammate pretend to be the “user.” You will be the “computer.” The user will point to a button, and you will respond by showing them the next screen. This helps you find problems in your design.
Activity: Prototype Simulation
Let’s simulate a paper prototype. Click the “Next” and “Previous” buttons to see the journey of a user adding a new harvest to their app.
Screen 1: Welcome Screen
Your Mission
Now it’s your turn. Get your team together, find some paper, and follow the steps in this lesson. Sketch out the core features of your project, and then “user test” it with each other. This will help you find the best design before you write a single line of code.
