Launch strategy for a health app with the founders

I used the Sparrow email app for Mac back in 2010. I just loved it.

As I was working on the launch strategy for a health app with the founders, we presented the strategy used by Sparrow Inc. in launching their app.

The founders of this startup were very familiar with the concept of the Minimum Viable Product. They wanted to launch a barebones app, that was functional and did what it said it was going to do. I advocated a radically different approach.
Instead of focusing on creating a “Minimum Viable Product (MVP)”, I proposed creating a “Simple, Lovable but Complete Product (SLC)”. This is a concept introduced by Jason Cohen in his article on making a SLC instead of an MVP.

I don’t deny that an MVP is useful:

1. It allows you to quickly check the viability of a new idea.
2. It allows you to do so with minimal resources, so it is inexpensive.
3. Future iteration and feature additions are quick because it’s a barebones product, and you can decide on them once you have real usage data acquired from actual users.

However, it misses out on one crucial element: Lovability.

We don’t want to create a product that just crosses the threshold of being usable. MVP is the definition of the same. It is usable. It does what it says.
Why not focus on creating a product that your users fall in love with? At the expense of robust functionality, I advocate for crafting a first release version that your users would fall in love with. This is valid across industries: IT, Manufacturing and even healthcare.
Lovability creates relatability. And relatability creates RELATIONS.
In launching a new product or a service, you want to create hype and buzz for your product. This is only possible when your users fall in love with it. It can be as simple as a lovable name (Flo, Lyft) or a beautiful logo (Spotify, and Flo Health again).

The product itself needs to work elegantly, but even with minimal features, it will create instant buzz and excitement if it’s crafted with lovability and not just usability in mind. That buzz and excitement needs to be a critical part of launch strategy.

If your first release had to be loved, not just used, what would you change about it?