A minimum viable product, commonly called an MVP, is a development strategy in which a team releases the simplest functional version of a product that allows them to validate a key hypothesis with actual users. The concept, central to lean product development and agile methodology, prioritises speed to learning over completeness of feature sets. In a research context, MVP thinking applies directly to concept testing and early-stage consumer validation: teams need to understand whether a product idea resonates, solves a real problem, and warrants further investment before committing to a full build. Qualitative research is particularly well suited to MVP validation because it surfaces not just whether users respond positively, but why, and what would need to change.