Introduction

Building the perfect MVP feels smart, but often leads to a loop of bad guesses. Real success comes from shaping user behavior, not features.

What's the problem it solves?

Most product teams waste time trying to guess the best features for an MVP. This article explains how that thinking traps teams in a loop of delays, frustration, and missed goals-called the MVP Death Spiral-and shows how to escape by focusing on what users actually do, not what we imagine they want.

Quick Summary

The MVP Death Spiral happens when teams try to build just the "right" features before launching. They guess which features will work, spend months building them, and then lose confidence when the product doesn’t feel right or users show little interest. Instead of learning from real use, teams go back to the drawing board with a new set of guessed features-repeating the cycle.

This spiral comes from believing features are the key to success. But features are just ideas-not guarantees. Teams feel in control by listing and ranking features, but they ignore what really matters: how people behave. What looks like smart planning often hides fear of uncertainty. True progress comes from watching how users act, not guessing what they want.

The article urges teams to shift from a "build more" mindset to a "help users succeed" mindset. That means focusing on enabling real actions users want to take, not stuffing in more features. One way to do this is with a tool called a Multiverse Map, which helps teams understand the different ways users behave and what success looks like from their side.

Key Takeaways from the article

• Prioritizing features before launch is mostly guesswork.
• The MVP Death Spiral is a loop of building, doubting, and rebuilding.
• Features feel safe but often distract from real goals.
• Customer behavior-not features-is what truly matters.
• Teams should stop thinking supply-first (what we build) and start thinking demand-first (what users do).
• Success comes from enabling the right actions, not adding more features.
• Use tools like Multiverse Maps to focus on user behavior early.
• You’re never one feature away from success-look at the bigger picture.

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