MVP & Prototype Validation for Startups
Find out what works before you build more
I help early-stage startups test and validate their MVPs, prototypes and product ideas. I give experienced product development perspective and, when needed, help with getting the perspective of the real people from the actual target audience.
The goal is simple: find out what works, what doesn’t, and what you should build next.
Sometimes you need an experienced outside perspective. Sometimes you need to stop asking experts and put the product in front of the people it is actually meant for.
I help with both.
Expert MVP & Prototype Review
When you’ve been building a product for months, it becomes surprisingly difficult to see it through a new user’s eyes.
I review your MVP or prototype from the perspective of a first-time user and an experienced digital product professional.
We look at questions such as:
- Do I understand what this product is and why I would need it?
- Is the value proposition clear?
- Can I figure out what to do without someone explaining it to me?
- Does the core user journey work?
- Where does the experience create confusion or friction?
- What are the biggest assumptions or risks that should be tested?
- What should you fix now and what can wait?
Your MVP doesn’t have to be polished. It can be a live product, an early MVP, a clickable Figma prototype or a prototype created with AI development tools. Or just simple pen-and-paper mockups or images on your Miro board.
The earlier we find the important problems, the cheaper they usually are to solve.
Test Your MVP with Real Target Customers
An expert review can identify problems and assumptions.
But my opinion is still just one person’s opinion.
When you really want to know whether something works, put it in front of the people it was built for.
I help startups plan and conduct lightweight customer validation with real people from their target audience.
From individual 1:1 meetings to testing in an event full of your target audience.
Depending on what we need to learn, this can include customer interviews, prototype testing, usability testing or a combination of them.
Together we define the questions and assumptions that matter most, find suitable participants, conduct the tests and turn the findings into concrete product decisions.
The purpose isn’t to produce a 50-page research report. I hate making & finishing posh presentations (=waste IMHO).
It’s to help your team decide:
Fix now. Test next. Build later. Don’t build.
What Can We Validate?
Customer validation isn’t only about whether people can use an interface.
For an early-stage startup, the more important questions may be:
Do people understand the problem you’re solving?
Is that problem important enough?
Do they understand your solution?
Does your product solve the problem in the way you assumed?
Where do users hesitate, misunderstand or drop out?
Would they actually use this?
What would need to change before they would?
What should you build next?
The right questions depend on the stage of your startup. That’s why we start by deciding what you actually need to learn.
A Lightweight Validation Process
1. Define what we need to learn
We identify the assumptions, uncertainties and decisions that matter most right now.
2. Expert review
I go through your MVP, prototype or concept and identify potential friction, unanswered questions and areas worth testing.
3. Test with the right people
When customer validation is needed, we put the product in front of people who represent the actual target audience.
We observe what they do, listen to how they think and ask the questions that help us understand why.
4. Turn findings into decisions
We go through the findings together and translate them into priorities.
What should you change now? What needs another test? What should you build next? And just as importantly — what should you not spend time building yet?
About Elisa Kauria
I’m Elisa Kauria, a digital product and customer experience professional based in Finland.
I have over 15 years of experience in digital business and service development, including customer research, UX, concept validation, analytics and developing digital customer journeys.
A recurring theme throughout my career has been simple: understand what customers actually need before investing heavily in building the solution.
Today I bring that experience to early-stage companies as a startup mentor and advisor.
I particularly enjoy the stage when something already exists (an idea, prototype or MVP) but there are still important unanswered questions about the customer, the product and what should happen next.
I mentor startups through Helsinki Incubators and work with startups and other companies through Rising Edge Solutions.
Don’t Build More Just Yet
If you have an MVP or prototype and you’re wondering what to improve, what to test or what to build next, let’s take a look at it.
Start with an expert MVP review, or let’s test it with your real target customers.
Elisa Kauria
Startup Mentor | MVP & Prototype Validation | Customer Research
Have an MVP or prototype? I’d love to take a look.
Book a free 30 min introductory call with me
elisa.kauria@re-solutions.fi
+358443033141
Rising Edge Solutions Oy
Finland