What is a Fake Door MVP?

The Fake Door MVP is a clever, low-risk method to test the viability of your app idea before investing significant time and resources into its development. Essentially, it’s an MVP before the MVP—a way to "fake it till you make it." Instead of building a functional product, you create the illusion that your app already exists to gauge user interest.

How Does the Fake Door Approach Work?

The Fake Door MVP typically involves setting up a landing page that describes your app as if it were fully developed. This page can include features, benefits, and even pricing information. The goal is to encourage users to sign up for a waiting list or click a call-to-action button, like “Learn More” or “Get Started.”

Is it Ethical?

If you’re concerned about the ethical implications, it’s important to note that you’re not misleading users in a harmful way. You’re not taking any payment or personal information beyond an email address. You’re simply testing whether there’s genuine interest in your product.

How to Implement the Fake Door Approach

1. Create a Landing Page or Button: Design a webpage or an in-app button that presents the app or feature you want to validate. Ensure it looks professional and convincing to give users the impression that the feature is real, and they can get there hands on it now or fairly soon.

2. Drive Traffic: Use marketing channels such as; social media, email campaigns, online ads, and blogs to drive traffic to your landing page or app.

3. Track User Interaction: Measure the number of users who click the button, sign up for more information, or perform any action that indicates interest. Tools like Google Analytics or Hotjar can help track these interactions.

4. Collect Feedback: Once users interact with the fake door, redirect them to a page explaining that the feature is in the works, coming very soon, and ask them to leave their email for updates or provide additional feedback on what they would like to see.

5. Analyse Data: Evaluate the data collected to determine the level of interest in your app or feature. High interaction rates suggest strong demand, while low rates may indicate a lack of interest or need for further refinement of the idea.

Why the Fake Door Approach is Useful

1. Cost-Effective: The fake door approach allows you to test the viability of an idea without investing significant time and resources into development. This way, you can save money and focus your efforts on ideas with proven demand.

2. Quick Validation: This method provides rapid feedback on whether your target audience is interested in your app or feature. You can make informed decisions quickly, rather than spending months developing something that might not resonate with users.

3. Real User Behaviour: Unlike surveys or focus groups, the fake door approach captures real user behaviour. Users willingness to click on a button or sign up provides a more accurate measure of interest compared to hypothetical answers.

4. Refinement Opportunities: Gathering feedback from users who interact with the fake door can provide valuable insights into their expectations and preferences. This information can help you refine your app idea before full-scale development.

5. Reduced Risk: By validating demand early, you reduce the risk of developing a product that fails in the market. This approach helps ensure that you are building something that users truly want.

Example: Buffer’s Successful Fake Door MVP

Buffer is a prime example of effective Fake Door testing. They launched a landing page showcasing how users could schedule tweets via Buffer. When users clicked the “Plans & Pricing” button, they were informed that the product was still in development. This simple test validated their concept and allowed them to gather emails of interested users.

Tip: Use No-Code Tools For Your MVP

Using zero-code tools to create a Progressive Web App (PWA) is another innovative approach. These tools allow you to build a basic version of your app using simple interfaces like Google Spreadsheets. While these PWAs lack the full functionality of a native app, they can convincingly demonstrate your concept to potential customers.

Here are some useful no code tools:

• Bubble

• Flutterflow

Benefits of the Fake Door MVP

1. Cost-Effective: Validate your idea without significant financial investment.

2. Quick Validation: Rapidly determine market interest before full-scale development.

3. Real User Behaviour: Obtain genuine user reactions instead of hypothetical feedback.

4. Pricing Model Testing: Experiment with different pricing strategies.

5. Early Adopter Engagement: Build a list of interested users who can provide feedback and spread the word.

6. Reduced Risk: Avoid investing in ideas with little market demand.

Drawbacks of the Fake Door MVP

1. Data Accuracy: The data collected might not fully represent the market's response.

2. Brand Credibility: Poorly executed tests can damage your brand’s reputation.

Companies That Successfully Used Fake Door MVPs

Zappos

Nick Swinmurn validated his idea for Zappos by photographing shoes in local stores and posting them online. When an order came in, he bought the shoes from the store and shipped them to the customer, validating the demand for an online shoe retailer without holding inventory.

Dropbox

Dropbox used a simple explainer video to demonstrate their concept, attracting over 70,000 sign-ups overnight. This massive response validated their idea and helped secure funding.

Here's the video:

Product Hunt

Ryan Hoover started Product Hunt with a simple email list using Linkydink. By inviting friends to share links to new products, he quickly attracted a community of 170 active users, proving the concept before building the full platform.

Conclusion

The Fake Door MVP is a powerful tool for early-stage validation, allowing you to test your app idea with minimal investment. By employing this strategy, you can make informed decisions about whether to proceed with full development.

At The Random Stuff, we specialise in mobile app development and offer comprehensive MVP development services. If you have an idea and need expert guidance to validate it, feel free to reach out to us or schedule a call. We’re here to help you navigate the path from concept to successful app.

In the video below, Brandonlee Brown, our Marketing & Commercial Director details two strategies you can use to validate your app idea, with the second being the Fake Door approach.