33: The Cupcake Framework: Simplifying Product Design Without Sacrificing Impact
At its core, design is about crafting meaningful experiences—whether through a product, a service, or even a single moment of interaction. Yet, when discussing Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), the conversation often shifts toward assembling a checklist of features rather than designing an experience. This fragmented approach overlooks the most crucial element: the experience itself.
This is where the cupcake mindset comes in.
Over the years, I’ve seen designing experiences as a lot like baking. Imagine an extravagant wedding cake: towering tiers, intricate details, and an undeniable sense of grandeur. It’s aspirational—the ultimate expression of what’s possible. But it’s also complex, time-intensive, and impractical for everyday use.
Most of the time, people don’t need a wedding cake. They need a cupcake—a smaller, more accessible version of that grand vision. But here’s the key: a cupcake isn’t a compromise; it’s a distillation. It captures the essence, the flavor, and the delight of the whole cake but in a form that’s approachable, efficient, and aligned with real-world needs.
The cupcake mindset shifts the focus from simply assembling ingredients to crafting a complete, intentional experience. It ensures that even our most straightforward offerings are thoughtfully designed and fully baked rather than a collection of half-formed ideas.
Why the Cupcake Matters?
In product development, there’s a delicate balance between ambition and practicality.
Too often, teams overengineer—chasing a vision so comprehensive and feature-rich that it becomes bloated, expensive to build, and overwhelming for users. In this case, complexity becomes the enemy of clarity.
Conversely, teams sometimes strip down an MVP to the point of being unusable in the rush to ship quickly. An MVP isn’t just a skeleton of features—it’s an end-to-end experience. Users can’t engage with a product if it feels unfinished, lacks key functionality, or fails to guide them through their journey. It’s not enough to assemble the ingredients; you must bake the cake.
This is where the cupcake mindset becomes a game-changer.
A well-designed cupcake isn’t about cutting corners; it’s about delivering a petite, delightful, and focused experience. It ensures that even the most minor release is complete and intentional before scaling up.
For example, launching a digital checkout feature without an intuitive order confirmation or customer support system creates a fragmented experience. Instead, starting with a cupcake approach—a simple, seamless checkout flow—lays a solid foundation. Once that core experience is perfected, layering in complexity becomes far more effective.
Breaking It Down: Cake vs. Cupcake in Design
Designers often skip creating a clear vision because they are pressed for time, rushing to deliver immediate solutions rather than stepping back to define their direction. While this urgency is understandable, it often leads to fragmented experiences and short-term thinking. As a leader, I believe it’s crucial to carve out the time to establish a vision, not as a luxury but as a necessity.
A well-articulated vision is a guiding force, ensuring every decision aligns with a broader strategy rather than becoming a reactive fix. It helps teams navigate ambiguity, make informed trade-offs, and build on a strong foundation rather than constantly reinventing. By setting this direction early, we don’t just design for the now—we create a path for what comes next.
The Wedding Cake (Big Vision)
Represents the ultimate goal: a fully realized, mature product experience.
Packed with all the features, integrations, and refinements you could imagine.
It takes significant time, effort, and resources to build.
Often, it is a long-term roadmap rather than an immediate launch.
The Cupcake (Minimum Viable Delight)
Represents a distilled, simplified version of the bigger idea.
Focuses on core functionality while delivering a delightful experience.
It can be built, tested, and iterated upon quickly.
Helps teams validate user needs before investing in large-scale efforts.
Recipe for success
Start with the Cake (Define the Vision). Before making a single cupcake, envision the whole cake. What does success look like at scale? How does the product fit into users’ lives in its most complete form? Defining this North Star vision gives clarity and direction, ensuring every decision supports the larger goal. Think of it as a grand, elegant, and purposefully designed wedding cake. Even if you don’t start by baking the whole cake, knowing its structure ensures every piece aligns with the final vision.
Distill It Down to a Cupcake (Define the Core Experience) With the vision in place, the next step is distillation—finding the essence of the product. A cupcake is not just a smaller cake; it’s the most concentrated, delightful version of the experience. What is the simplest, most effective way to deliver value? What is the one thing the product must do exceptionally well? Start here before layering on anything extra.
Create a Batch (Test & Iterate in Small Bites). The first bake might not be perfect, even with a strong vision and a transparent core. That’s why bakers test recipes in small batches—just as product teams should. Create prototypes, launch betas, and gather feedback. Cupcakes are easier to adjust and refine than an entire cake, making them the perfect testing ground. Iteration ensures that you build on something that genuinely works when you scale.
Frost & Decorate (Enhance with Intentionality) Once the base is solid, enhancements should elevate, not overwhelm. Just as an elegant cake relies on balance—flavor, texture, and decoration working together—a product should integrate features seamlessly and intuitively. Every addition should serve the core experience, not distract from it.
Build the Cake When It’s Needed (Scale with Confidence) Now that the cupcake has proven successful, it’s time to bring back the whole vision. Scaling isn’t about adding for the sake of it; it’s about building with purpose—expanding thoughtfully, whether through new features, integrations, or markets. Because you started with the vision and validated the core experience, you can now confidently assemble the whole cake, ensuring every layer is meaningful.
From Cake to Cupcake and Back Again. Too often, teams build too small without a vision or too big without testing. The best approach is a cycle—start with the grand vision, distill it to its essence, iterate in small bites, and then scale intentionally. Whether you’re designing a product, a feature, or an entire ecosystem, bake with purpose, test with care, and scale with confidence—one cupcake at a time.
Why This Approach Works
Faster Time to Market: You can quickly get something into users’ hands rather than spending years perfecting a large-scale solution.
Reduces Waste: Helps avoid unnecessary features or complexity that don’t add value.
Encourages Learning: By launching smaller versions, teams can test, learn, and adjust before scaling up.
User-Centric Design: Allows designers to focus on what truly matters to users rather than overengineering solutions.
Final Thought: Embrace the Cupcake Mentality
Designing for impact doesn’t mean starting with the grandest vision and hoping users will love it. It means starting small, delivering value early, and refining based on real-world insights. The cupcake approach ensures that your design efforts are practical, delightful, and scalable.
So, next time you embark on a product or experience design project, ask yourself: Do we need the whole cake right now, or will a well-crafted cupcake do the job?
