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Recitation 2: Viability Analysis

Overview

This recitation will give you the opportunity to familiarize yourself with viability analysis of your startup idea and help you capture the end user perspective as you conceive of the product you want to build.

Staff Overview

  • Jacqueline Tsai & Aditya Shrivastava
  • Emails: yunhsuat@andrew.cmu.edu & ashriva3@andrew.cmu.edu
  • Office Hours: Wed 4:00 - 5:00pm (Aditya), Thur 4:00 - 5:00pm (Jacqueline)

Minimum Viable Product

Purposes for building Minimum Viable Product:

  • Early Testing Opportunity
  • User Feedback
  • Data-Driven Decision Making
  • Idea formations

Case Studies - AirBnB

  • MVP – Air Mattress Renting Service@Home
  • Idea to Validate – Short Term Rental for Travelers
  • Simple Website to list their space and accept bookings

Case Studies - Instagram

  • MVP – Photo sharing and location check-ins
  • Idea to Validate – Users’ interests in sharing photos
  • Simple mobile app to share updates

Case Studies - Spotify

  • MVP – Desktop App with Limited features just to support streaming music
  • Idea to Validate – Traction for a seamless music experience with minimal buffering

Smokescreen MVP

A facade used to gather customer interest without fully developing the product

Purpose:

  • Test critical assumptions
  • Measure customer behaviour
  • Validate ideas before heavy investments

Let’s Try It Out!

  • Create a simple landing page or prototype
  • Include core features or product description
  • Add a clear “Call To Action”
  • Measure Customer Response and Engagement
  • Analyze Data and Make Informed Decisions

Food for thought

  • How to deliver an idea in a few words? (Elevator Pitch)
  • How to design a smokescreen that communicates this idea effectively?

Homework 2 - Create a Smokescreen

Must Contain:

  • Landing Page
  • Your Product Idea
  • Paper Prototype (such as Fake Screenshots)
  • A Textbox and Button that people can use to contact you

No Backend/Database Required

Simple HTML/JavaScript/CSS, or other Frameworks you’re comfortable with

Some templates:

Deployment

  • Local/no deployment: open index.html -> convert to PDF
  • Free web hosting for static website: GitHub.io

Steps to deploy on GitHub.io:

  • Create a GitHub account & Create a repository
  • Name the repository your username
  • Go to Setting -> Page, set branch and deployment
  • Access your website on https://{your-username}.github.io
  • All contents on the website should be pushed (be careful when pushing confidential data)