Indie Hacker MVP Development

Ship fast, validate fast, iterate based on feedback. This skill guides rapid MVP development.

Core Philosophy

1. Speed over Perfection: Ship something functional, not polished
2. Ruthless MVP Focus: 1-3 features maximum for v1
3. Validate Before Building: Talk to users, don't assume
4. Revenue First: Build what people will pay for

Instructions

The MVP Checklist

Before writing code, answer these:

• Can I describe the core value in one sentence?
• Have I talked to at least 3 potential users?
• What's the ONE feature that solves the core problem?
• Can I ship in 2 weeks or less?
• How will I know if it's working? (metrics)

Development Priorities

DO:

• Use existing tools (Clerk for auth, Convex for backend)
• Copy proven UI patterns (don't reinvent)
• Ship daily, get feedback weekly
• Use feature flags for experimental features
• Write tests only for critical paths

DON'T:

• Build admin dashboards before you have users
• Add "nice to have" features
• Optimize before you have traffic
• Build custom solutions for solved problems
• Spend time on perfect code architecture

The 2-Week Sprint Template

Week 1:

• Day 1-2: Core feature implementation
• Day 3-4: Basic UI (functional, not beautiful)
• Day 5: Integration and testing

Week 2:

• Day 1-2: Polish critical user flows
• Day 3: Deploy to production
• Day 4: Share with 10 potential users
• Day 5: Collect feedback, prioritize v2

Lean Tech Stack Recommendations

Frontend: React + Vite (fast dev server)
Backend: Convex (zero-config, real-time)
Auth: Clerk (5-minute setup)
UI: Shadcn/ui (copy-paste components)
Deployment: Vercel (push to deploy)

User Feedback Script

After someone uses your MVP, ask:

1. "What did you expect to happen?"
2. "What actually happened?"
3. "Would you pay $X/month for this?"
4. "What's missing that would make you use this daily?"

Examples

Good MVP Scope

"Users can submit a lead form, and automatically receive
a personalized response email within 30 seconds."

Bad MVP Scope (Too Big)

"Users can submit leads, get auto-responses, view analytics
dashboard, set up custom workflows, integrate with CRM,
manage team permissions, and export reports."

Best Practices

1. Launch embarrassingly early - If you're not embarrassed, you waited too long
2. Manual before automation - Do things that don't scale initially
3. Talk to users weekly - Schedule recurring user calls
4. Metrics from day 1 - Track signups, activation, retention
5. One channel focus - Master one acquisition channel before expanding

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

• ❌ Building features no one asked for
• ❌ Premature optimization
• ❌ Perfect code before product-market fit
• ❌ Building for imaginary scale
• ❌ Spending weeks on landing page design

Quick Decision Framework

When unsure, ask:

1. "Will this help me get 10 paying users?"
2. "Can I validate this with a manual process first?"
3. "What's the simplest version of this feature?"

If the answer to #1 is no, don't build it yet.