All Roads Lead to Spreadsheets
All Roads Lead to Spreadsheets
How Familiar Tools Can Accelerate Your MVPs and Product Creation (+ 🎁 Free Interactive MVP Tool Example)
In this post, you'll get:
🎁 A free, downloadable MVP tool and feedback collection example: The Newsletter Ikigai Finder, inspired by one of my most popular posts. This easy-to-use spreadsheet helps you quickly validate your newsletter ideas using the Ikigai framework and play around with a real spreadsheet MVP!
How to use spreadsheets to rapidly build and validate MVPs as a product creator — without the need for expensive or complex tools.
The benefits of starting simple: Why spreadsheets keep you focused on core functionality and reduce development costs.
Actionable insights for manual MVP testing: Learn how to gather feedback faster, better understand user behavior, and avoid costly mistakes early on.
Tips for pushing the limits of spreadsheets: Discover how to leverage data visualization, automation, and security features to create more advanced MVPs.
Let’s dive in 👇
In product development, complexity can be a trap. We often believe that advanced tools and platforms are essential to creating value, but this mindset drives up costs, extends timelines, and can derail promising ideas before they even get off the ground.
The truth is simpler: sometimes, all you need is a spreadsheet to build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This isn’t about cutting corners — it’s about using familiar, accessible tools to quickly validate ideas and deliver real value.
1. The True MVP Approach
Let’s first define what an MVP should truly accomplish. It’s not about delivering a simplified version of your product — it’s a tool for learning, validation, and reducing risk. To guide your MVP process, ask yourself these key questions:
Is there a market for this idea?
Are people genuinely interested? This goes beyond seeking opinions. You need to offer something tangible that users can interact with, so you can observe real behavior rather than relying on hypothetical interest.
Is the proposed solution aligned with the actual use case?
What we think users need often differs from what they truly require. An MVP helps you test your assumptions about the problem and how users might want to solve it in the real world.
How can we test the idea with minimal investment?
It’s about finding the fastest, most cost-effective way to get feedback, learn, and iterate. Perfection isn’t the goal — insight and rapid learning are.
Using these questions as your North Star, a simple spreadsheet can become an incredibly powerful MVP tool, allowing you to validate and refine your ideas faster and more effectively than you may have thought possible.
2. The Power of Starting Simple
Through my experience in product development, I’ve seen firsthand how starting with simple, effective MVPs can make all the difference. Here’s why beginning with a spreadsheet can be a game-changer:
Start Simple:Whether your goal is a polished software platform or an intricate service, starting with a spreadsheet forces you to focus on the essentials — core functionality — without being distracted by unnecessary features.
Manual First: Before engaging developers, manually process everything in the spreadsheet. This approach offers key advantages:
It deepens your understanding of both the problem and the potential solution.
You can quickly prototype and adjust based on real-time feedback.
It saves you from committing to flawed assumptions or an inefficient architecture too early.
The insights gained here will lead to a more streamlined and effective development process later on.
Prove Value Before Automating: Use the spreadsheet to simulate basic workflows and information handling. This allows you to:
Validate the value of your idea without the upfront cost of full system development.
Avoid the costly mistake of automating processes that don’t actually solve the problem.
Focus on delivering genuine value rather than getting bogged down by technical complexities too soon.
Starting with a spreadsheet allows you to save time, money, and resources by identifying mistakes early — before they become costly. This approach ensures that when you do scale, you're building on a solid foundation, rather than perfecting a flawed process.
3. Unleashing the Power of Spreadsheets in MVP Development
Spreadsheets offer unique advantages that make them perfect for MVP creation, allowing you to validate ideas quickly and efficiently:
Rapid Prototyping: The familiar interface lets you quickly build and iterate without needing to code. This speed is crucial in early product development when fast feedback and adjustments can rapidly refine your concept.
Data Visualization: Built-in charting tools turn raw data into compelling visuals, making it easier to demonstrate your MVP's value to potential users or investors. They also allow you to experiment with different ways to present insights, helping you find the most intuitive format for your customers.
Flexible Data Manipulation: Spreadsheets’ powerful functions and formulas can handle complex data processing, simulating backend operations. This flexibility allows you to create advanced logic and workflows that push the limits of what’s possible in a spreadsheet.
Real-Time Collaboration: You can instantly share your MVP with stakeholders, speeding up the feedback loop. This collaborative environment helps you refine your product faster than traditional development processes.
Low Learning Curve: Since most professionals are already familiar with basic spreadsheet functions, adoption is quicker. This familiarity helps accelerate MVP implementation and testing.
4. Transforming Limitations into Opportunities
While spreadsheets have their constraints, creative problem-solving can turn these into unique strengths:
Enhanced User Interface: Use conditional formatting, data validation, and custom forms to design an intuitive user experience. With the right setup, a spreadsheet can rival the look and feel of custom-built applications.
Automated Workflows: Take advantage of built-in scripting to automate complex processes, expanding your MVP’s functionality. This can cover everything from data processing to user interactions, moving beyond basic spreadsheet capabilities.
Data Security: Apply cell protection and sheet-level security to control access, mimicking the role-based permissions of full applications. This ensures your MVP addresses real-world security concerns.
Scalable Architecture: Organize your spreadsheet into modular sections, using separate sheets for different functions. This not only makes your MVP more manageable but also sets the stage for future development.
By pushing spreadsheets beyond their usual limits, you can create a functional MVP that validates your idea and builds a strong foundation for growth.
🎁 5. A Practical Example: Newsletter Ikigai Finder Tool
To show the power of spreadsheets in MVP creation, I spent the last couple of days developing the Newsletter Ikigai Finder Tool based on advice from one of my most popular previous articles: A Product Manager's Insights in Newsletter Creation.
This spreadsheet-based MVP is designed to test key assumptions about aspiring newsletter creators and whether they find value in evaluating their ideas using the Ikigai framework — a Japanese concept for finding purpose.
🎁 [Get the Newsletter Ikigai Finder Tool Here] — And please feel free to share this post link with anyone you think may benefit from it!
To use it:
Go to the linked Sheet above.
Go to File → Make a copy
Save your version to your Google Drive and start editing the inputs.
How It Tests Assumptions:
Assumption 1: Aspiring newsletter creators need a structured framework to validate their ideas.
Assumption 2: A simple, familiar interface (like a spreadsheet) can guide users through the evaluation process effectively.
Assumption 3: Immediate feedback on their ideas, using the Ikigai framework, will offer valuable, actionable insights.
How the Tool Works:
Input: Users answer 5 questions about their newsletter concept and self-assess (on a scale of 1–5) how strongly they believe their idea aligns with the four elements of Ikigai:
What you love
What the world needs
What you can be paid for
What you’re good at
Output: The tool automatically calculates scores and provides instant feedback, showing how aligned the concept is with the Ikigai framework.
Feedback Loop: Users can submit feedback through a structured Google Form with 1–5 rated questions, offering real-time validation and insights for further iterations.
It’s simple, functional, and — while not polished visually — it contains everything necessary to test the underlying assumptions. By starting with this spreadsheet MVP, I can quickly validate ideas, gather feedback, and iterate based on real user behavior, all without significant cost or complexity.
Example Feedback Questions
As part of refining the tool and testing its effectiveness, I’ve designed a Google Form to gather user feedback. The questions in the form not only collect insights on the tool’s functionality but also serve as an example of the kinds of questions you should ask when testing your own MVPs:
How easy was the tool to understand and use?
(1 = Very difficult, 5 = Very easy)The tool helped me effectively evaluate my newsletter idea.
(1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agree)The Ikigai framework was useful in guiding my idea validation process.
(1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agree)The instructions provided were clear and helpful.
(1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agree)The visual layout of the spreadsheet was appealing and easy to navigate.
(1 = Not appealing, 5 = Very appealing)I gained valuable insights from the feedback provided by the tool.
(1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agree)How likely are you to recommend this tool to other newsletter creators?
(1 = Not likely, 5 = Very likely)
By including these types of questions, you ensure that you gather meaningful feedback on both the functionality and usability of the tool. The form is an excellent example of how to structure questions when testing MVPs and collecting user insights.
6. The Power of Live Observation
One of the key advantages of using a spreadsheet MVP is the ability to facilitate live observation. When you demo the tool or share your screen, you can gather real-time insights that static feedback or analytics simply can't capture. For example, you can:
Watch users interact with the tool to identify which elements are intuitive and which are confusing.
Observe user flow, noticing whether inputs and outputs align with expectations or if certain parts are more engaging than others.
Spot challenges users face with terms, instructions, or input availability, highlighting areas for improvement.
Understand users’ thought processes as they navigate the tool, allowing you to see whether it matches how they think about their problem.
Identify misalignments between your assumptions and real-world use cases.
This kind of immediate, contextual feedback is invaluable for rapid iteration, ensuring the MVP evolves in line with actual user needs. Live observation deepens your understanding of the problem you're solving and highlights potential areas for refinement early in the process.
By building this MVP in a spreadsheet, we've created a flexible, functional product that delivers real value and adapts easily to feedback. It’s a powerful example of how familiar tools can fuel MVP development and accelerate user-driven insights. While I won’t be able to observe users directly in this case for the Ikigai Finder Tool , I can gather feedback through the embedded Google form.
7. Conclusion: Going Full Circle
While the tech world often glorifies complex, sophisticated solutions, simple tools are often the most effective. Spreadsheets offer a powerful, accessible starting point for MVP development, allowing you to:
Quickly validate your ideas
Prove real value to users or investors
Gather actionable and insightful user feedback
Even after weeks and months building advanced platforms or dashboards, I’ve heard from clients:
"I love the dashboard, it’s beautiful and really insightful, but can I get it as a spreadsheet export?"
This reflects the enduring value of spreadsheets in business. It’s not a step backward — rather, it's about using familiar, flexible tools that seamlessly integrate into existing workflows of your customers.
The key takeaway is clear: no matter how advanced your product becomes, users value solutions they can quickly understand and manipulate. Starting with a spreadsheet MVP taps into this preference, driving faster adoption and delivering early success by validating ideas with a tool that feels accessible.
So next time you're brainstorming a new product, consider starting with a spreadsheet MVP. You might be surprised at how far it can take you — helping you test assumptions, gather insights on user behavior, and build a valuable product with minimal investment.
To summarise: All Roads Lead to Spreadsheets.
Thanks for reading!
I’d really appreciate you taking a second to answer this poll for feedback on this post:
Did you find this post valuable? — Here's how you can support Product Artistry:
Subscribe for free to join our community and stay updated on future insights.
Become a paid subscriber to support this reader-funded publication.
Share with fellow product enthusiasts, it really helps me reach new readers.
Like or Comment – I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences!
Keep Iterating,
— Rohan
Connect with me on LinkedIn, X, or Threads — whichever platform works best for you!