The simplest (and best) way to know if a problem is real

The new MVP (Meme Viable Problem), and a 3-step playbook to using it

Jaryd here! 👋 Welcome to another short essay on one useful idea, helping to expand your mental model and give you new tactics to build and grow your product.

---

Friends, we’ve been overthinking what an MVP should be. And I’d like to propose a simpler, faster, cheaper, and more agile way of figuring out if your idea has any legs.

With this new style of MVP, you could have your problem validated within just a few hours from right now.

---

The Idea…💡

Start with a meme. Instead of building a landing page or a traditional Minimum Viable Product to test demand, focus on capturing your problem with a funny image. Then, share your meme with a community that you think has the problem.

This is the Meme Viable Problem, and the results are fast, high-signal, and easy to interpret.

Why it matters…🫰

Memes are one of the best modes of concise and thoughtful communication.

People think memes are just joke images, but don’t underrate them! What makes a great joke? A deep insight and commentary on something relatable that’s shared with great brevity.

Memes force clarity and simplicity and prevent you from overthinking the scope of an MVP. The process of making a meme (which is super easy) also creates an opportunity for you to check that you understand what the problem is and can articulate it in a way that resonates with others.

Traditional MVPs can easily focus on the wrong things. Memes get to the heart of your main assumption, and guide you towards (1) the right audience, and (2) speaking the language of that audience.

The bottom line… 🔑

If you can convey the problem you want to solve in a meme and people resonate with it, then the problem is real. If nobody cares for your meme, then either (a) it’s not a real problem, (b) you haven’t captured why people should care about it quite right, or (c) you’re wrong about who has the problem.

All are excellent and validating outcomes that cost $0.

---

Let’s go a bit deeper, covering:

1. Memes by the numbers, and why they matter

2. 2 problems with the traditional MVP

3. The 3-step Playbook to the Meme Viable Problem

The rest of this post is for paid HTG members only. All the other content in How They Grow is free—only the “Deeper” section of this one newsletter series is paywalled. Consider upgrading to support my work, invest in yourself, and get the juicier scoop.