Glossary

MVP, prototypes, validation — precisely defined

This glossary explains the core terms around MVP development, prototyping and product validation — concise, precise and free of marketing speak. Each entry answers the core question in one sentence first, then goes deeper.

MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

An MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is the smallest version of a product that delivers real value to real users while testing a business assumption. It is not a half-finished product but a deliberately reduced one: every feature has to answer an open question. The goal is learning under real conditions — before the budget for a full product is spent.

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Clickable Prototype

A clickable prototype is an interactive design prototype — usually built in Figma — that feels like a real product but contains no code. Users click through real screens and flows before a single line of software exists. It answers the question “Does anyone understand and want this?” in days instead of months — at a fraction of development cost.

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Code Prototype

A code prototype is a working software prototype that actually implements the technically riskiest core functions of a product — such as API integrations, data processing, or AI logic. Unlike a clickable dummy, it proves feasibility, not just comprehensibility. It is the right step when the biggest risk is not “Does anyone want this?” but “Does this even work?”

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Vibe Coding

Vibe coding is software development in which an AI generates the code from natural-language instructions and the human barely reviews the result in detail. This makes prototypes dramatically faster — and, without control, produces code nobody can maintain or extend. Legitimate for throwaway prototypes; viable for production systems only with systematic human review.

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GEO & AEO

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) describe optimizing content so that AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Overviews cite it as a source. The goal is citability rather than rankings: precise, self-contained answers, structured data, verifiable claims. If you don't appear there, you lose visibility — without seeing it in classic SEO metrics.

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Validation

Validation means testing a business or product assumption with real users before building gets expensive. Behavior counts, not opinion: Do users get through the prototype? Do they understand the offer? Would they pay? A validation that stops an idea is not a failure — it prevents building the wrong product, which costs a multiple.

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Fixed-Price Model

A fixed-price model means: defined scope, defined result, fixed price — agreed before the project starts. The risk of overruns sits with the provider, not the client. At decivo, every module has a fixed price, from the clickable prototype at €3,500 to the code prototype at €12,500. Whoever takes longer carries it — which disciplines both sides toward a clear scope.

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