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Week 5: Course Project Part 2: Value Proposition and MVP Design
Due Dec 01 by 1:59am Points 125
Introduction
Now that you’ve spent time exploring your users and synthesizing insights, it’s time to shift from understanding the problem to designing a solution.
In this project assignment, you’ll articulate your startup’s value proposition and define the core elements of your Minimum Viable Product (MVP). You’ll take your understanding of your customer’s jobs, pains, and desired outcomes, and begin translating that into real features, experiences, and user flows.
This assignment bridges the gap between discovery and prototyping. A well-defined value proposition ensures you’re solving the right problem, for the right person, in a way that truly resonates. Your MVP plan will help you avoid overbuilding by focusing on the smallest set of features that deliver meaningful value and test your riskiest assumptions.
By the end of this assignment, you should have a clear, testable MVP that connects directly to customer needs—and a roadmap for how your team will bring it to life.
Review the following video for this assignment.
Format and Expectations
This assignment continues your evolving project presentation—a visual PDF presentation that tells the story of your startup’s development. You should add these new slides directly after your Week 3 slides.
Use design tools like Canva, Google Slides, PowerPoint, or Figma—just make sure your project presentation is polished, professional, and exported as a PDF. Organize your ideas visually. Use diagrams, canvases, and sketches wherever they help communicate your thinking.
Instructions
Use 5–6 slides to tell a clear and compelling story. Visuals, frameworks, and quotes are encouraged! Your presentation should include the following.
Refined Persona and Problem Recap (1 slide)
Begin with a summary of your target persona and the problem they’re facing. This slide should briefly reintroduce who your product is for and why their problem is worth solving. Update your earlier thinking based on what you learned in your Week 3 research. Your persona should feel grounded and specific, not generic. Include:
Updated persona profile (if needed)
Refined problem statement
Why this problem matters most to this user
Value Proposition Statement (1 slide)
This slide should clearly state the unique value your product delivers to your target customer. A strong value proposition ties directly to the persona’s most important pain and clearly explains what sets your product apart. Use the Geoff Moore framework or your own variation to keep it structured and concise. Include:
A one-sentence value proposition using: For [target user], who [problem], our [product] is a [category] that [key benefit]. Unlike [alternatives], it [differentiator].
Use language your customer would understand
Emphasize clarity over cleverness
Value Proposition Canvas (1 slide)
This visual tool shows how your product delivers value to your target user. The right side should reflect your user’s Jobs, Pains, and Gains. The left side describes your product’s features and how they relieve those pains or create those gains. This canvas should be specific and grounded in your research, not generic or theoretical. Include:
3–4 product features
2–3 pain relievers (how you reduce or eliminate key frustrations)
1–2 gain creators (how you help the user succeed or feel better)
Highlight the riskiest assumption(s) you’re testing
MVP Feature Set (1 slide)
This slide defines the 3–4 core features that will make up your MVP. These are not just “cool ideas”—they’re the minimum necessary to deliver your value proposition and test key assumptions. Explain how each feature connects to the Value Proposition Canvas and why it matters. Include:
A list or visual of your 3–4 MVP features
A short description of each
What part of the value proposition it supports
Why each is essential (not optional) for learning
MVP Storyboard (1-2 slides)
Use these slides to visually walk through how your customer will interact with your product. The storyboard should show your user experiencing one or more key features and receiving value from them. Think of this as a visual pitch for how your MVP works—focused, simple, and clear. Include:
3–5 frames or scenes showing your user’s interaction with the product
A title or caption for each frame (what’s happening?)
Visuals can be sketches, icons, wireframes, or diagrams
Make sure it aligns with your MVP features and value proposition
Tips for Success
Make sure every feature you list connects back to a real user need.
Don’t worry about visual polish—focus on clear thinking.
Use your storyboard to help people “see” how your MVP creates value.
Stay focused on testing assumptions, not building the full product.
BASED ON PREVIOUS WORK!!!
Take This statement into consideration.
For my supply chain visibility MVP, the feature I believe is most essential to test first is a real time tracking and centralized data view for inbound materials across multiple suppliers and production points.
