As an early-stage startup founder, do you choose no-code, low-code or code for your MVP?

AnnaMarsX·Aug 16, 2022

Posted in:Tech

Hi all! I'm wondering what is the easiest, most common, and beloved solution for early-stage founders. Do you try to make it work yourself using no-code solutions and focusing on idea validation? Or, do you choose to go all-in and make 100% customized complex solution yourself or through a dev shop right away?

mariagomez·Aug 16, 2022

Hi! I work for a dev shop so maybe I can give you a little insight based on past experience. I would say first and foremost have the wireframes and if you can create a high fidelity prototype on figma it would be best! It's by far the cheapest option and a quick way to present and somewhat validate your idea. Some startups have even gotten funding by only having the prototype to show how the app would work and not an MVP right away.

katiegandomi·Aug 17, 2022

I totally agree with @mariagomez the best way to start is to create wireframes and a simple prototype in a tool like figma before you jump into writing code. It's a great way to get some validation for your MVP and feedback from potential customers before you start building!

AnnaMarsX·Aug 17, 2022

Hi! Thanks, @mariagomez and @katiegandomi! I think you're absolutely right. But what do you do once you have the prototype and some funding? Say 20-50$k. In your experience do founders tend to go with no-code or hire freelancer/ dev shop to do the work?

mariagomez·Aug 17, 2022

I don't really recommend no code, but it depends on what your product is and if it's sustainable with a no code solution. If your intent isn't to find a technical co founder or hire a FT employee who can build the product definitely engage a dev agency as they can help you with the whole development process (not so much a freelancer).

AnnaMarsX·Aug 22, 2022

Agree with you 100%. No-code is great for idea validation but usually is not sustainable for anything bigger. Or if you want to tweak it to become something more powerful, you'll probably still need a Bubble developer to help you.

mariagomez·Aug 22, 2022

Yeah I agree! Perhaps you can go that route for idea validation, but prototyping on figma is probably easier and almost as effective. If you get around to building the map and need help with finding a dev agency let me know!

samanthahu·Aug 18, 2022

Hi,I took the hard route to learn Bubble.io and have been building couple projects from scratch. There was a post from Elpha community that has some great insights of it: https://elpha.com/posts/xorzyfjc/learn-bubble-no-code-or-go-to-coding-bootcampHope it help.

AnnaMarsX·Aug 22, 2022

Hi @samanthahu, thanks! Yes, I think if you want to build something really powerful on Bubble the learning curve is pretty steep. That's why even there usually you need a developer for complex solutions.

emilymdeayora·Aug 28, 2022

I think it depends on your product. We went all in and found a developer to build it because ours is complex enough (and needs to be very visually beautiful because it’s design focused) that we couldn’t figure out a good low or no code option. That said we were planning to do something more simple and stumbled into a developer who could add more features. If you CAN make a no code mvp that really showcases your idea for testing I think it’s great.