What if MVP no longer stands for Minimum Viable Product?

In a recent talk at uxcon Vienna, Meaghan Choi, who leads design for Claude Code at Anthropic, introduced M-LVU-P.

Minimum Lovable, Viable or Usable Product.

Not the catchiest acronym, but it challenges an assumption about what the first version of something should achieve.

The traditional MVP focuses on validating ideas with minimal investment. But viability alone doesn't guarantee that people will enjoy, understand or return to an experience.

M-LVU-P introduces three possible priorities:

Lovable: Does it create enough value, character or emotional connection to make people want to return?

Viable: Does the proposition solve a real problem and support a sustainable business?

Usable: Can people interact with it clearly, intuitively and without unnecessary friction?

These aren't isolated qualities or sequential stages. They're interconnected, and the same thinking extends beyond products to brands.

Brand strategy defines the proposition. Brand identity creates recognition and expectations. Brand experience determines whether those expectations are met.

A distinctive identity can't compensate for a frustrating experience. A perfectly usable service might offer little reason to choose it over competitors. And a viable business can struggle to build lasting relationships if people don't connect with what it offers.

Each influences the others.

As technology makes it easier to build and test new products, services and digital experiences, brands have more opportunities to create value beyond their traditional offerings.

But the ability to build more doesn't mean every idea deserves to exist.

The question becomes what needs to be proven first, and how that first experiment contributes to the wider brand.

Minimum defines the scope. Lovable, viable or usable defines the immediate priority. The brand connects them.