Test Before You Build: Why It's Never Been Easier to Validate Your Digital Product

Most startups don't fail the way you think.

Let me be direct 90% of all startups fail. 20% in the first year alone. Half don't make it to year five. Sounds brutal. It is.

But here's the part that really gets me: 35 to 42% fail because there's no real market need. They've invested months, sometimes years, into something nobody wants.

The crazy part? This is entirely avoidable. Not with more money. Not with a bigger team. But with a simple shift in perspective: Test before you build.

An MVP is not a small product

I see it all the time: Someone says "we're building an MVP" and means a stripped-down version of the final product. Fewer features, but otherwise the same thing.

That completely misses the point.

An MVP – Minimum Viable Product – is not a product. It's a learning vehicle. Eric Ries, who popularised the concept, puts it this way: It's the version that enables the maximum amount of validated learning with the least effort.

The keyword isn't "product". It's "learning".

And this is where it gets exciting for anyone working on an idea: You don't have to build first to learn. You don't (necessarily) have to code to test.

Don't build when you can test

Alberto Savoia, former Engineering Director at Google, coined a term I really like: Pretotyping. With an "e" instead of an "o". His motto: "Make sure you are building the right it before you build it right."

Sounds simple. It's a game changer.

Examples you can implement almost anytime:

Fake Door Testing: You create a button for a feature that doesn't exist yet. When people click it, you know: the interest is there. Buffer validated their entire business this way – with a simple landing page, before a single line of code was written.

Concierge MVP: You deliver the service manually. The customer experiences the end product, but behind the scenes you're doing everything by hand. This way you learn exactly which steps are actually needed.

Landing Page Tests: A simple page with a value proposition and call-to-action. Anyone who signs up or clicks shows real interest – not just "yeah, sounds nice".

The brilliant part: You're not just testing features. You're testing messages, prices, positioning. All before the actual product exists.

The Playground

Here's the part that matters most to me personally.

When you think this way – testing instead of hoping, learning instead of guessing – suddenly a little playground emerges. A space where you're allowed to take your first steps. Where you playfully discover what works and what doesn't.

This is no small thing.

The difference between "we spent a year building and then realised it doesn't work" and "we tested for two weeks and now know exactly what we need" – that's not just financially huge. It's a completely different emotional experience too.

You dare more. You experiment more boldly. You learn faster.

And then magic happens: Innovative ideas emerge, surprising designs, creative solutions. Because you know exactly what you need for the final product or the next version.

It's not about starting perfectly. It's about starting smart.

The Low-Code/No-Code Revolution

Now here's something that genuinely excites me as a designer and developer.

The global low-code/no-code market was valued at 10.46 billion dollars in 2024. By 2030, it's projected to grow to 82 to 187 billion. But numbers are abstract. What does this actually mean?

By 2025, around 70% of new applications will use low-code or no-code. In 2020, it was under 25%. By 2026, 75 to 80% of all tech products will likely be built by non-IT professionals.

Read that again: Non-IT professionals.

Development time drops by up to 90% compared to traditional programming. 70% of first-time users master these platforms in under a month. 72% can build and launch apps in under three months.

This means: It's never been easier or cheaper to test digital ideas. The boundaries between design and code are blurring. And that's a good thing.

Real-World Examples: Less is More

Theory is nice, but let me show you what this actually looks like.

Example 1: Digital Roadshow Tool

An events company with no internal digital resources needed a system for their client's roadshows. Participant data, scores, live displays. No budget for complex app development.

Our solution: Google Forms for registration, Google Sheets as a database, a bit of JavaScript for live scoreboards. Done.

Investment: Around CHF 2,000.

Result: A working system that covers core functions and is modularly expandable. No months of development. Real insights about usage and needs. Reusable because it's simple.

Example 2: Static HTML5 Quiz

Same company, new client project: An interactive quiz for events. Should we build an app for this?

Instead: A static HTML5 quiz. No server, no database, no ongoing costs. An HTML file that runs in the browser.

Investment: Around CHF 2,200.

Benefits: Works offline, no data privacy issues, easily adaptable. And most importantly: Real insights into whether the basic idea even works.

If it works, you can always think bigger later. But you've validated with minimal risk.

Design Sprint: MVP Thinking in 10 Days

One method I really value is the Design Sprint from Google Ventures. From problem to tested prototype in ten days:

• 2 days understanding the problem
• 2 days sketching solutions
• 2 days deciding
• 3 days building the prototype
• Day 10: Gathering real experiences

IBM reports 75% time reduction – from eight months down to three or four. The Google Ventures portfolio shows 5 to 10x ROI on Design Sprint investments.

But honestly? The numbers are almost secondary. What matters: You get real feedback from real people in a week. No more assumptions. Clarity.

Digital Communication as MVP

The MVP logic doesn't just work for products – it works for communication too. Instead of being present on every channel right away, you start with a minimal channel mix. Focused messaging. Clear KPIs. Then you iterate.

It's the "Minimum Viable Brand": The smallest credible presence that builds enough trust to start conversations. Not "logo first", but "clear value plus proof of concept".

Enough to appear professional. Enough to test. Nothing more.

The Risks – Because Transparency Matters

Of course there are pitfalls too. I wouldn't be honest if I didn't mention them.

Ethics in testing: When you test features that don't exist yet, you need to be fair. Users who click a button and then see "coming soon" need to understand that. Otherwise you risk trust.

Scaling too early: A successful test with 50 users doesn't automatically mean success with 50,000.

Testing forever: At some point you have to take the leap. Testing can also become an excuse.

Technical debt: Quick-and-dirty prototypes that "somehow" make it into production can become expensive later.

Why Now is the Right Time

It's never been easier to test your digital product before launch. The tools are there. The methods are proven. The costs are manageable.

There's going to be a flood of innovative approaches. Those who seize these opportunities will have a massive advantage over everyone still working the old way: build first, hope later.

And yes – this can happen under a code name. A test doesn't have to carry your final brand. You can experiment, learn, iterate before you go public.

The Digital Touchpoint as Investment

Compared to other expenses – infrastructure, personnel, marketing – the digital touchpoint is one of the most important points of contact. It's available 24/7. It scales. It's measurable.

The initial effort of thinking clearly, testing, and iterating pays off. Not as a one-time project, but as an attitude.

That's why we work with clear starting points at greg.design. Regular sparring sessions, documented roadmaps, defined next steps. Not because we fetishise structure, but because we know: Those who know the path make better decisions.

What Remains

The world has changed. The tools have changed. The possibilities have changed.

What hasn't changed: The desire to create something valuable. Products that people actually use. Brands that build trust. Communication that lands.

The difference is how we get there.

Not by guessing. Not by hoping. But by learning, testing, iterating.

The playground is ready. The only question is: When will you step in? 🚀

Further Reading

MVP & Lean Startup

• Eric Ries: What Is an MVP?
• The Lean Startup Principles
• Strategyzer: Don't build when you build-measure-learn

Testing & Validation

• Strategyzer: Test Card Methodology
• Alberto Savoia: Pretotype It
• Amplitude: Fake Door Testing

Design Sprints

• Jake Knapp: Sprint
• Google Ventures: The Design Sprint
• Google Design Sprint Kit

Low-Code / No-Code

• Gartner: Low-Code Development Technologies Market
• Forrester: The Low-Code Market Outlook

Branding & Communication

• Harvard Business Review: Start-Ups Need a Minimum Viable Brand
• Spin Sucks: The PESO Model

Startup Statistics

• Embroker: Startup Statistics
• CB Insights: Top Reasons Startups Fail

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Who We Are

Greg.design is a creative studio that works with a network of creative professionals to provide solutions for Swiss start-ups and SMEs.

We support future-proof rebranding, tackle creative challenges and promote the development of digital products – from strategy to modular style guides.

Sound interesting? Then let's talk!