Can I build an MVP in one weekend?

Hey, that's a great question, one that many aspiring creators have pondered.

The answer is: It's possible, but it largely depends on how you define 'MVP' and how complex your idea is.

Don't think of an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) as a fully-featured, beautifully designed app. It's not version 1.0 of your product; it's more like version 0.1.

Think of it as "the smallest tool that can validate your core idea."

For example: let's say you want to create a "TikTok for pets."

A complete product might require: user registration/login, video scrolling, likes, comments, follows, direct messages, video uploads, beauty filters...
Whereas an MVP might just be: a simple webpage where users don't need to log in, can directly upload a 15-second pet video, and then generate a shareable link for friends.

The purpose of this ultra-minimal MVP isn't to retain users, but to answer a core question: "Are people actually willing to share videos of their pets?" If you send the link to 100 pet groups and find that no one uses it, then your "core idea" might be flawed, and you won't need to waste months developing a full app.

So, whether you can build something in a weekend depends on a few things:

How 'small' your idea is: If your idea is to build a random selector for "What should I eat for lunch today?", a weekend is more than enough. But if your idea is to build something like "Meituan" (a comprehensive service app), you might not even finish the login page in a weekend. The key is whether you dare to cut features, cutting them down to only the most core, irreducible functionality.
Your technical skills: Can you handle the frontend (the user interface) and backend (data processing and logic) yourself? Do you know how to deploy a website online for others to access? If you know it all, you'll naturally be fast. If you need to learn many things from scratch, a weekend will mostly be spent watching tutorials and troubleshooting.
Your definition of 'done': When you say 'build', do you mean something that runs on your own computer, or something deployed online for internet users worldwide? The latter will take significantly more time dealing with servers, domains, and so on.

Things you can realistically build in a weekend:

A landing page introducing your product idea, with an email input field to see how many people are interested in your idea and willing to leave their contact information.
A super-simple utility tool, such as an image compressor, a specific-purpose calculator, or a text format converter.
Build an interactive prototype using no-code/low-code tools (like Bubble, Glide internationally, or Qingliu, Jiandaoyun domestically). This is perfect for friends without a strong technical background, allowing them to quickly turn an idea into something clickable.

My advice to you:

Ruthlessly cut features: Write down your idea, then start cutting until you're left with only one core feature – that's what you'll use to validate the market.
Don't reinvent the wheel: Use existing frameworks, templates, and third-party services as much as possible (e.g., use an existing login service instead of writing your own).
Don't strive for perfection: Just make it work. A slightly ugly interface or a few small bugs are fine; your goal is to validate the idea, not to win a beauty contest.

So, go ahead and give it a try! Even if it fails, you've only "wasted" a weekend. But the experience you gain, and the insight into whether your idea is viable, will be far more valuable than spending months on "perfect planning." That's part of entrepreneurship itself.