A first SaaS MVP should include one core value journey done well, simple sign-up and login, the minimum data model to support that journey, a basic admin view for you, a way to collect payment or commitment if you are testing willingness to pay, and analytics to see what users do. Most other features — team management, advanced settings, integrations, detailed reports — can wait or be handled manually at first.
Deciding what to leave out is the hardest and most valuable part of building an MVP. Here is the framework we use with founders at Visnoa.
Start with the core value journey
Ask: what is the one thing a user must be able to do for this product to be worth paying for? That journey, from first visit to the moment of value, is your MVP’s backbone. Everything in the MVP should either be part of that journey or make it possible.
The essentials most SaaS MVPs need
- Sign-up and login, ideally using an established authentication service, plus password reset;
- the core value journey, working end to end with real data;
- a simple onboarding step that gets new users to value quickly — sample data helps;
- an admin view so you can see users, fix data and support customers;
- payments or a commitment step if you are testing willingness to pay;
- basic product analytics to see where users drop off;
- transactional email for sign-up confirmation and key notifications;
- a feedback channel — even just a link to email or chat.
Features to postpone
- Team accounts, roles and invitations (unless collaboration is the product);
- extensive settings and customisation;
- complex reporting and exports;
- multiple pricing tiers and coupon logic;
- native mobile apps;
- integrations nobody has asked for yet.
Features you can handle manually at first
Some of the most successful products started with founders doing work by hand behind a simple interface. Consider doing these manually until volume justifies automation:
- onboarding calls instead of a self-serve setup wizard;
- invoicing through your accounting software instead of in-app billing;
- data imports done by your team instead of an import tool;
- reports compiled and emailed weekly instead of a dashboard.
A simple prioritisation method
For each candidate feature, score two things from 1 to 3:
| Question | 1 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Is it needed to test the core idea? | Nice to have | Cannot test without it |
| Can it be done manually or faked for now? | Easily | Not at all |
Build features that score 3 on both. Postpone or handle manually everything else. Revisit the list after real users have tried the product.
Do not skip these, even in an MVP
- Permission checks: users must only see their own data.
- Backups: losing early customers’ data is hard to recover from.
- Error handling on the core journey.
- Clear terms and a privacy policy if you collect personal data.
Frequently asked questions
Should my MVP have a free trial?
A short trial or a free plan with clear limits works well for many SaaS products. If you are testing willingness to pay, consider asking for payment or a pre-order early.
How polished should the design be?
Clean, consistent and trustworthy — not elaborate. Users forgive missing features more readily than confusing interfaces.
Can you help me decide what to include?
Yes. Our product discovery workshop produces a prioritised feature list and a fixed quote for the first version.
