Ship Fast Foundations

Shipping fast is not about cutting corners. It is about collapsing the time between an idea and real feedback. AI products move quickly because the underlying tools change quickly. If you do not ship, you do not learn.

The mindset shift

Perfection feels safe because it delays judgment. But in AI, the real risk is building the wrong thing. The fastest path to quality is feedback, and the fastest path to feedback is a small, shippable MVP.

Think in experiments, not features. Every idea should fit into a short loop:

• Hypothesis: what you think will happen for a specific user.
• Test: the smallest build that can prove or disprove it.
• Learn: what actually happened and what to change next.

If you cannot explain the hypothesis in one sentence, you are not ready to build.

MVP vs perfection

A good MVP has three traits:

• Narrow: it does one job for one user type.
• Visible: the outcome is obvious to the user.
• Repeatable: you can run it multiple times to see consistency.

Perfection mode tries to solve multiple problems at once. MVP mode solves one problem end to end, then improves it. The difference is focus, not quality.

Define the smallest test

Ask these questions:

1. What single outcome proves value?
2. What input is required to produce that outcome?
3. What is the simplest interface that delivers it?

If you answer those, you have an MVP. Everything else is optional for now. Make the outcome measurable. Examples:

• One user completes the workflow without assistance.
• Output saves 30 minutes compared to a manual process.
• Three people say they would use it weekly.

The goal is not a perfect metric. It is a clear, consistent signal.

Practical example: a content insight MVP

Use a guide like Couples Experiences Melbourne 2026 as your test dataset.

Define the MVP:

• User: a content editor planning a seasonal guide.
• Outcome: a prioritized list of 10 standout experiences.
• Core action: extract, score, and summarize.
• Time: under 2 minutes end to end.

Then define your success criteria: