I used to think MVP meant "build something crappy and hope it works."

Big mistake.

I'd spend weeks adding features nobody asked for. Building complex workflows that confused users. Creating Swiss Army knife tools that did everything poorly instead of one thing brilliantly.

Then I learned the real MVP formula: One Input → AI Process → One Output.

That's it.

The invoice scanner that turns receipts into expense reports? Yes a MVP.

The meeting recorder that spits out action items? Again, a MVP.

The complex project management tool with 47 features? Not a MVP.

Today, we're turning yesterday's problems into dead-simple AI products that actually make money.

Let’s get started

The Real MVP Mindset

An MVP is a “minimum viability product”. Popularised by the lean startup movement we mentioned yesterday.

MVP doesn't mean "barely functional." It means "minimum features that prove value."

Importantly we build a basic version of our product which allows us to get real feedback from (shock horror) real people

Which lets us learn and adapt the product quickly. Before spending months and thousands of dollars.

Most people think MVP means building a crappy version of their grand vision. Wrong. MVP means finding the core transformation - the intrinsic kernel of value - and doing ONLY that, but doing it brilliantly.

This is the opposite of what most early stage entrepreneurs do.

People don’t like it? OK - add MORE. More features. More tools. More stuff. They become Swiss Army knives - they do everything but master nothing. MVPs are scalpels - one thing with surgical precision.

The One-Input AI Formula

How do we really strip this down? Especially for the 10 Week Summer Camp?

Here's the formula we’ll be using moving forward: One Input → AI Process → One Output

Some example flows we could build

• Blog posts become email newsletters.

• Customer reviews become sentiment reports.

• Meeting recordings become action items.

• Product descriptions become SEO versions.

• Invoice data becomes expense reports.

Notice what's missing? Multiple inputs. Complex workflows. Feature lists. Options and settings.

One transformation for one type of user with one clear outcome. That's it.

Complex tools are nightmares. Long onboarding where users quit. Customer education that costs a fortune. Endless support tickets. Bugs that multiply exponentially. Maintenance hell.

Simple tools are beautiful. Thirty-second understanding. Zero training needed. Minimal support. Fewer breaking points. Easy maintenance.

But here's the real reason simple wins: decision fatigue. Your users are drowning in complexity. A tool that does one thing perfectly is a life raft.

This is what we’ll (initially) build over the next few weeks. Something we can spin up quickly. Get in front of customers. Test their reactions. Adjust as necessary.

And (once we have locked in the core value!!!) we can add complexity. If we need to.

Building Without Code

But wait I can’t build…I can’t programme…I can’t code.

Yeah you can.

This is 2025. You don't need to code to build AI products.

Lovable.ai, Bubble, Make + AI APIs - these can build production-ready tools. Not prototypes. Real products serving real customers.

You can build input forms that process through AI and display outputs. File uploads that get AI processing and downloadable results. Text boxes that transform content instantly. URL inputs that extract and generate reports.

All easy peasy. Stop thinking you need to be technical. You need to be problem-focused.

We’ll get into this next week but I wanted to quickly assuage concerns in case it blocked you moving forward!

Your MVP Generator Prompt

OK onto the task at hand for today. Time to turn yesterday's problems into products

You are an AI product designer specialising in simple, focused tools. Based on the problems I found, generate MVP concepts following the one-input formula.

Problems from my research: [Paste your top 5-10 problems from yesterday]

For each problem, create an MVP concept with:

Name (descriptive, not clever)
Input (ONE thing user provides)
AI Process (what AI does to input)
Output (ONE thing user receives)
Problem Solved (specific pain removed)

Rules: No multiple inputs or outputs. Process must be AI-doable today. Must save significant time OR money. User gets value in under 5 minutes. Buildable with no-code tools.

Example format: "ReviewReplyAI"
Input: Negative review text AI
Process: Analyses tone and generates professional response
Output: Ready-to-post reply 
Problem Solved: 30 minutes crafting diplomatic responses

Generate 10 MVP ideas ranked by simplicity to build, clear value proposition, and how passionate people are about this problem.

Plug all of this into you working chat with your AI so as to use the past problems. Or copy/paste them in as necessary.

What Makes a Good MVP

The best MVPs have clear transformations. Users see before/after immediately. "Messy data becomes clean report" is clear. "Better productivity" is vague.

They solve one problem for one type of user. Don't try to serve accountants AND marketers AND salespeople. Pick one.

Value comes fast - minutes, not hours. If they need training, it's too complex.

Pricing is obvious. "£20/month for unlimited contract summaries" beats "£20/month for AI assistance."

Every feature you don't build is a feature that can't break. Every option you don't offer is a decision your user doesn't make. Every use case you ignore is clarity for the one you serve. I know it seems counterintuitive at first but this is super important!

Tomorrow, we'll analyse which MVP to build first. But today? Today we just need to get it into our heads that the best products do less, better. This is a lesson that took me a LONG time to get!

Your Day 13 Deliverable

By end of today

• Run the MVP generator prompt with yesterday's problems.

• Create simple diagrams for your top 3 MVPs showing Input → Process → Output.

• Write one sentence describing each transformation.

Keep it embarrassingly simple. If you're adding features, you're doing it wrong. Not yet!

Build in Public Component

Share your MVP concepts

"Day 13 of AI Summer Camp: Turning problems into simple AI products.

My favourite concept so far: [Input] → [AI Process] → [Output]

Solves: [Specific problem from yesterday]

One transformation. No feature creep. Just value. That’s the plan.”

What's Next?

Tomorrow, we put these MVPs through an objective framework to find your winner. No gut feelings. No favourites. Just data-driven selection based on market evidence.

We’re going to kill your darlings. So don’t get too attached!

Then Friday, we turn the winner into a build specification you'll take into Week 4.

One input. One process. One output. One week from now, you'll have a working product. Yeah…kinda mad eh?

Keep Prompting,

Kyle