diff --git a/frontend/src/utils/variants.ts b/frontend/src/utils/variants.ts
index 4063b5bb70..d26a6d2238 100644
--- a/frontend/src/utils/variants.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/utils/variants.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ export interface Variant {
 export const getVariantValue = <T = string>(
     variant: Variant | undefined
 ): T | undefined => {
-    if (variant?.payload !== undefined) {
+    if (variant?.enabled) {
+        if (!variant.payload) return variant.name as T;
         if (variant.payload.type === PayloadType.JSON) {
             return JSON.parse(variant.payload.value) as T;
         }
diff --git a/src/lib/types/experimental.ts b/src/lib/types/experimental.ts
index 3954998e0e..5464a8da60 100644
--- a/src/lib/types/experimental.ts
+++ b/src/lib/types/experimental.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { Variant, PayloadType } from 'unleash-client';
 import { parseEnvVarBoolean } from '../util';
+import { getDefaultVariant } from 'unleash-client/lib/variant';
 
 export type IFlagKey =
     | 'anonymiseEventLog'
@@ -98,7 +99,7 @@ export const defaultExperimentalOptions: IExperimentalOptions = {
     flags,
     externalResolver: {
         isEnabled: (): boolean => false,
-        getVariant: () => undefined,
+        getVariant: () => getDefaultVariant(),
     },
 };
 
@@ -114,16 +115,10 @@ export interface IFlagContext {
 export interface IFlagResolver {
     getAll: (context?: IFlagContext) => IFlags;
     isEnabled: (expName: IFlagKey, context?: IFlagContext) => boolean;
-    getVariant: (
-        expName: IFlagKey,
-        context?: IFlagContext,
-    ) => Variant | undefined;
+    getVariant: (expName: IFlagKey, context?: IFlagContext) => Variant;
 }
 
 export interface IExternalFlagResolver {
     isEnabled: (flagName: IFlagKey, context?: IFlagContext) => boolean;
-    getVariant: (
-        flagName: IFlagKey,
-        context?: IFlagContext,
-    ) => Variant | undefined;
+    getVariant: (flagName: IFlagKey, context?: IFlagContext) => Variant;
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/util/flag-resolver.test.ts b/src/lib/util/flag-resolver.test.ts
index de9ac4633b..6366e62e9a 100644
--- a/src/lib/util/flag-resolver.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/util/flag-resolver.test.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { PayloadType } from 'unleash-client';
 import { defaultExperimentalOptions, IFlagKey } from '../types/experimental';
 import FlagResolver, { getVariantValue } from './flag-resolver';
 import { IExperimentalOptions } from '../types/experimental';
+import { getDefaultVariant } from 'unleash-client/lib/variant';
 
 test('should produce empty exposed flags', () => {
     const resolver = new FlagResolver(defaultExperimentalOptions);
@@ -30,7 +31,7 @@ test('should use external resolver for dynamic flags', () => {
                 return true;
             }
         },
-        getVariant: () => undefined,
+        getVariant: () => getDefaultVariant(),
     };
 
     const config = {
@@ -50,7 +51,7 @@ test('should not use external resolver for enabled experiments', () => {
         isEnabled: () => {
             return false;
         },
-        getVariant: () => undefined,
+        getVariant: () => getDefaultVariant(),
     };
 
     const config = {
@@ -70,7 +71,7 @@ test('should load experimental flags', () => {
         isEnabled: () => {
             return false;
         },
-        getVariant: () => undefined,
+        getVariant: () => getDefaultVariant(),
     };
 
     const config = {
@@ -91,7 +92,7 @@ test('should load experimental flags from external provider', () => {
                 return true;
             }
         },
-        getVariant: () => undefined,
+        getVariant: () => getDefaultVariant(),
     };
 
     const config = {
@@ -121,6 +122,7 @@ test('should support variant flags', () => {
             if (name === 'extraFlag') {
                 return variant;
             }
+            return getDefaultVariant();
         },
     };
 
@@ -131,22 +133,33 @@ test('should support variant flags', () => {
 
     const resolver = new FlagResolver(config as IExperimentalOptions);
 
-    expect(resolver.getVariant('someFlag' as IFlagKey)).toBe(undefined);
-    expect(resolver.getVariant('otherFlag' as IFlagKey)).toBe(undefined);
+    expect(resolver.getVariant('someFlag' as IFlagKey)).toStrictEqual(
+        getDefaultVariant(),
+    );
+    expect(resolver.getVariant('otherFlag' as IFlagKey)).toStrictEqual(
+        getDefaultVariant(),
+    );
     expect(resolver.getVariant('extraFlag' as IFlagKey)).toStrictEqual(variant);
 });
 
 test('should expose an helper to get variant value', () => {
+    expect(
+        getVariantValue({
+            enabled: true,
+            name: 'variant-A',
+        }),
+    ).toBe('variant-A');
+
     expect(
         getVariantValue({
             enabled: true,
             name: 'variant',
             payload: {
                 type: PayloadType.STRING,
-                value: 'variant-A',
+                value: 'variant-B',
             },
         }),
-    ).toBe('variant-A');
+    ).toBe('variant-B');
 
     expect(
         getVariantValue({
diff --git a/src/lib/util/flag-resolver.ts b/src/lib/util/flag-resolver.ts
index 180235a684..55afcbfc6d 100644
--- a/src/lib/util/flag-resolver.ts
+++ b/src/lib/util/flag-resolver.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import {
     IFlagResolver,
     IFlagKey,
 } from '../types/experimental';
+import { getDefaultVariant } from 'unleash-client/lib/variant';
 
 export default class FlagResolver implements IFlagResolver {
     private experiments: IFlags;
@@ -22,13 +23,16 @@ export default class FlagResolver implements IFlagResolver {
         const flags: IFlags = { ...this.experiments };
 
         Object.keys(flags).forEach((flagName: IFlagKey) => {
-            if (!this.experiments[flagName]) {
-                if (typeof flags[flagName] === 'boolean') {
+            const flag = flags[flagName];
+            if (typeof flag === 'boolean') {
+                if (!flag) {
                     flags[flagName] = this.externalResolver.isEnabled(
                         flagName,
                         context,
                     );
-                } else {
+                }
+            } else {
+                if (!flag?.enabled) {
                     flags[flagName] = this.externalResolver.getVariant(
                         flagName,
                         context,
@@ -49,10 +53,10 @@ export default class FlagResolver implements IFlagResolver {
         return this.externalResolver.isEnabled(expName, context);
     }
 
-    getVariant(expName: IFlagKey, context?: IFlagContext): Variant | undefined {
+    getVariant(expName: IFlagKey, context?: IFlagContext): Variant {
         const exp = this.experiments[expName];
         if (exp) {
-            if (typeof exp === 'boolean') return undefined;
+            if (typeof exp === 'boolean') return getDefaultVariant();
             else return exp;
         }
         return this.externalResolver.getVariant(expName, context);
@@ -62,7 +66,8 @@ export default class FlagResolver implements IFlagResolver {
 export const getVariantValue = <T = string>(
     variant: Variant | undefined,
 ): T | undefined => {
-    if (variant?.payload !== undefined) {
+    if (variant?.enabled) {
+        if (!variant.payload) return variant.name as T;
         if (variant.payload.type === PayloadType.JSON) {
             return JSON.parse(variant.payload.value) as T;
         }
diff --git a/src/server-dev.ts b/src/server-dev.ts
index c4a757d70d..44bc204350 100644
--- a/src/server-dev.ts
+++ b/src/server-dev.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ import { start } from './lib/server-impl';
 import { createConfig } from './lib/create-config';
 import { LogLevel } from './lib/logger';
 import { ApiTokenType } from './lib/types/models/api-token';
-import { PayloadType } from 'unleash-client';
 
 process.nextTick(async () => {
     try {
@@ -41,23 +40,6 @@ process.nextTick(async () => {
                         responseTimeWithAppNameKillSwitch: false,
                         variantMetrics: true,
                         strategyImprovements: true,
-                        messageBanner: {
-                            name: 'message-banner',
-                            enabled: true,
-                            payload: {
-                                type: PayloadType.JSON,
-                                value: `{
-                                    "message": "**New message banner!** Check out this new feature.",
-                                    "variant": "secondary",
-                                    "sticky": true,
-                                    "link": "dialog",
-                                    "linkText": "What is this?",
-                                    "plausibleEvent": "message_banner",
-                                    "dialog": "![Message Banner](https://www.getunleash.io/logos/unleash_pos.svg)\\n## Message Banner 🎉\\n**New message banner!**\\n\\nCheck out this new feature:\\n\\n- Get the latest announcements\\n- Get warnings about your Unleash instance\\n\\nYou can read more about it on our newest [blog post](https://www.getunleash.io/blog).",
-                                    "icon": "none"
-                                }`,
-                            },
-                        },
                     },
                 },
                 authentication: {