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Minimum Viable Product

MVP1 Available

Minimum Viable Product

The capstone course. Take an original idea from paper sketch to working printed prototype — then revise it and print it again, just like a real product designer.

Duration

Multi-session

Spread over several weeks

Pathway

Product Design

Difficulty

Intermediate

Requirements

You must complete the following courses before enrolling:

3DM1 Introduction to 3D Modeling 3DP2 Bambu Studio Basics

What This Course Unlocks

  • Multi-session lab access for iteration cycles
  • Mentor-style instructor guidance on your original project
  • A real product you can hold, show off, and keep improving
  • Your Minimum Viable Product capstone badge

What You'll Learn

  • Scope a product idea that's actually possible to build
  • Sketch your idea on paper before opening any software
  • Translate the sketch into a CAD model in TinkerCAD
  • Pick the right slicer and printer for your design
  • Print a working prototype
  • Critically evaluate your own work — what worked, what didn't
  • Redesign and re-print based on what you learned
  • Talk about your process and explain your choices

Course Curriculum

  1. 1

    Phase 1 — Concept

    Come up with an idea. Your instructor helps you scope it — make sure it's something you can actually finish with the tools we have, in the time you have.

    ~30 min
    Brainstorm + Scope Approve Concept with Instructor
  2. 2

    Phase 2 — Design

    Sketch your idea on paper first. (Yes, paper! All the best designers start with paper.) Then open TinkerCAD and build the design using everything you learned in 3DM1.

    ~60 min
    Paper Sketch Build in TinkerCAD
  3. 3

    Phase 3 — Print

    Slice the design in Cura or Bambu Studio. Print on the right printer for the job. Watch it print and take notes on anything weird.

    ~30 min + print time
    Slice in Cura or Bambu Studio Print on the Right Printer
  4. 4

    Phase 4 — Evaluate

    Pick up the print. Use it. Touch it. Try it out. Does it work? Is it the right size? What would you change? This is the most important phase — real designers spend more time evaluating than building.

    ~30 min
    Critique Your Own Prototype
  5. 5

    Phase 5 — Revise and Re-Print

    Go back into TinkerCAD. Fix what didn't work. Print again. You'll do this loop at least once — but if you want to keep iterating, your instructor will support you.

    ~60 min + print time
    Revise in TinkerCAD Re-Print Version 2
  6. 6

    Phase 6 — Present

    Show your instructor: the first version, the final version, and what you changed and why.

    ~20 min
    Present Your Process

What Is “Minimum Viable Product”?

Section titled “What Is “Minimum Viable Product”?”

A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is the simplest possible version of a real product. Just enough to test if your idea actually works.

Real companies make MVPs all the time. Before launching a new toy, a new gadget, or a new tool, they build a rough version, try it out, see what’s wrong, fix it, and try again. That cycle is called build → measure → learn, and it’s how every great product gets made.

MVP1 puts you through that exact cycle.

What You’ll Build

Section titled “What You’ll Build”

Your own original product. Something you designed. Something you printed. Something you made better through real iteration.

Examples of student products from past MVP1 sessions:

  • Phone stands tuned for the exact angle of a desk
  • Name plates for bedroom doors
  • Keychains with custom letters and shapes
  • Custom dice for a tabletop game
  • Clips, hooks, and holders for specific household needs
  • Little containers for collections (coins, picks, beads)

But the best MVP1 projects are the ones we haven’t seen yet — your ideas.

What to Bring

Section titled “What to Bring”
  • Yourself
  • A water bottle (recommended)
  • A notebook and pencil for sketching your ideas
  • An idea — even a rough one. (No idea? Your instructor will help you brainstorm in your first session.)

For Parents

Section titled “For Parents”

Time commitment: Multiple sessions, spread over several weeks. This is by design — your kid needs time for prints to finish, time to evaluate them, and time to revise.

Age: Best for ages 10 and up. The work isn’t physically harder, but the iteration mindset (“my first version isn’t good enough, that’s fine, I’ll make it better”) is something younger kids may need extra encouragement to embrace.

Prerequisites: Both 3DM1 and 3DP2 must be marked Completed. (Because 3DP2 itself requires 3DP1, the full chain is 3DP1 → 3DP2 → MVP1.)

Cost: Enrolling is free. Each session may use FYBIT Credits — see the credits page. Because MVP1 is multi-session, plan for a few sessions’ worth of credits.

What your kid will leave with:

  • A physical product they invented, designed, and revised
  • Real experience with the engineering design loop
  • A story they can tell — “I had an idea, here’s how I made it real”

Why this course matters: This is the closest thing in the catalog to real product development. The exact “build → measure → learn” cycle they’ll use in MVP1 is the same one used at startups, in hardware companies, and in every engineering team you’ve ever heard of.

What if their first print fails? That’s a feature, not a bug. Diagnosing failures and trying again is one of the explicit learning objectives. Your instructor will frame failures as data, not disasters.

Helping at home: The best support you can give is enthusiasm for their idea, no matter how small or silly. “What’s the next version going to look like?” is a magic question.

Common Questions

Section titled “Common Questions”

How long does MVP1 actually take? Plan for at least 3–4 sessions, possibly more if you go for multiple revisions. Some students finish in a month; some come back over several months to keep iterating.

Can I bring my own idea? Yes — that’s the whole point! Bring an idea. Your instructor will help you make sure it’s possible to build.

What if my idea is too big? Your instructor will help you scope it down. A “robot that walks” is too big for MVP1. A “stand that holds my phone at a 45° angle” is perfect.

What if I run out of ideas? Your instructor has a backup list of project ideas to choose from. You won’t be stuck.

Do I have to revise my design? Yes — that’s required to complete the course. You’ll do at least one revision, ideally with a clear reason why.

Can I keep working on my product after MVP1? Absolutely! Many students keep iterating on their MVP1 projects long after the course is done.

Do I get to keep all the printed versions? Yes! Every print is yours. Most students like to keep the early “rough” versions to compare to the final one.

What’s Next After MVP1?

Section titled “What’s Next After MVP1?”

MVP1 is the current capstone, but the FundedYouth catalog is growing. Future courses being planned:

  • Advanced 3D printing (multi-material, multi-color with the Bambu AMS)
  • More CAD tools (Fusion 360, Onshape)
  • More coding tracks (typed languages, web, robotics)
  • Electronics and microcontrollers (Arduino, ESP32)

If you finish MVP1 and want more, talk to your instructor — there are always extra projects and challenges they can suggest.

How to Enroll

Section titled “How to Enroll”
  1. Make sure 3DM1 is marked Completed in your portal
  2. Make sure 3DP2 is marked Completed (which means 3DP1 is too)
  3. Sign in to the Portal
  4. Open Student → Browse
  5. Find MVP1 and click Enroll (this is free)
  6. Open the Sessions menu and register for an in-person session

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