Synthesizing MVP Feedback
When I joined Mackenzie, she had already released her MVP: a "LinkedIn for Nonprofits" full-stack directory that had flopped due to lack of engagement. But she was determined to pivot and try again; over the course of the summer, she had conducted interviews with ~70 nonprofits and brought the data together in Dovetail.
Our main takeaway: even with all of the existing directories available, most nonprofits spend an exorbitant amount of time finding and connecting with other nonprpofits. And they were all looking for cheap resources (think: bed frames, daipers, etc).
Scoping The Next Iteration
To kick off the pivot, I led Mackenzie through my signature series of workshops designed to define success and refine the scope of the next iteration.
1
Vision/Mission Workshop: Setting a True North
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We worked through Lighthouse's WHY, HOW, and WHATs (inspired by Simon Sinek's Golden Circle), and prioritized the company's core values.
2
Container Workshop: Defining Success
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In our second session, we outlined top stakeholders and mapped assumptions and KPI's.
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Then we set launch and retrospective dates based on Mackenzie's goals and created a container for the MVP, including key assumptions to validate and goal numbers for each KPI on the retrospective date.
3
MVP Scoping Workshop: User Journey Mapping
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First, we mapped Mackenzie's pie-in-the sky vision from the user's perspective in the style of Jeff Patton's User Story Mapping methodology
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Then we applied the Container defined in our previous session
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For each piece of the pie-in-the sky journey, we asked: "is this absolutely necessary to reach our goals in our timeframe?" If not, the piece was cut from the scope
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This process allowed us to refine the scope into an MVP with less than 1/3rd of the scope of her original vision...
Design & Development
I designed and built Lighthouse's V1 web app using the Adalo no-code app builder. Within 4 months of launch, Lighthouse now supports a growing, engaged community of 70+ nonprofits!
