·4 min read
MVP Notification System Design
Notifications bring users back. But too many or wrong ones drive them away. Here is the balance for MVPs.
Notification Types
| Type | Best For | MVP Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Important updates, summaries | High | |
| In-app | Real-time, contextual | Medium |
| Push (mobile) | Urgent, time-sensitive | Low for MVP |
| SMS | Critical alerts only | Usually skip |
MVP Email Notifications
- •Welcome email (immediate)
- •Key action confirmations
- •Weekly summary (if applicable)
- •Payment receipts
- •Security alerts (password changes)
In-App Notification Basics
- •Unread count indicator
- •Simple notification dropdown
- •Mark as read functionality
- •Link to relevant content
Notification Best Practices
- •Default to minimal notifications
- •Make all notifications actionable
- •Include unsubscribe in every email
- •Group related notifications
- •Respect time zones
What to Skip for MVP
- •Granular notification preferences
- •Push notifications (add after mobile app)
- •Real-time notifications (polling is fine)
- •Digest customization
- •Multi-channel orchestration
Start with fewer notifications than you think you need. It is easier to add more than to deal with annoyed users.