

Ask HN: Minimum viable product release private or public? - fsethi

Long time reader, first time poster. Do you guys think it is better to release a minimum viable product into the wild (open beta) rather than have a private beta?
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smtlaissezfaire
As far as I understand it, MVP is all about determining whether there might be
customers out there for you. (It's answering the question "Is anyone actually
going to buy this thing?").

So staying small and out of the public spotlight to iterate on failure is
valuable (and doesn't produce any negative PR).

If you have to go open beta to get that feedback, then do so. If you can get
away with a private beta, do so.

Here's the better question: Can you set up a system so that you don't even
need any sort of beta to tell?

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gbelote
Short answer is: It depends. Why would you want to release as a private beta?

You probably want users to be able to freely refer your product to friends.
You probably want people to be able to discover, sign up, and try your product
in one sitting. You probably don't want potential users to lose enthusiasm
while they wait for a beta invite. You probably won't have crushing server
traffic. If you do, you probably won't regret letting so many people use your
product at once.

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fsethi
Thanks for the input. Agreed. I come from a design background so releasing
something hacked together is a challenge for me. Furthermore, it really is a
MVP-- there are definitely UX issues and functionality I would like to
address/add, but resources are limited.

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skotzko
Probably depends on how many people or customers you have lined up for your
private beta. If it's of sufficient size, a private beta can work just as well
as a public launch.

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fsethi
Frankly, this is a sort of hack job @pud would be happy about it. Had an idea,
busting it out in a few days and seeing what happens.

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ravikalaga
What could be cooler for a few days work to be out in open beta? You get
feedback from real users (not friends/well wishers) and if it works well or
sucks, you at least get honest feedback.

~~~
fsethi
Agreed -- tangible honest feedback from real people is invaluable. Thanks for
the feedback.

