Boom Boom Shot

• Designing and launching a sweepstakes tool with animated, real-time draws
• Using analytics and interviews to guide customization, imports, and other new features
• Helping grow the user base by 300% to nearly 8,000 active users by 2023

Overview

Boom Boom Shot started with a birthday party and a search for a fun, well-designed raffle tool. Working with a small team of friends, I helped turn that idea into a sweepstakes tool for live events.

Problem

The existing sweepstakes tools felt clunky to run live and offered little visual appeal. We agreed on three goals:

• A quick, simple way for participants to enter.
• A real-time raffle experience with clear, engaging animations.
• Fair, verifiably random winner selection.

Launch

We launched a free version in 2021. SEO brought in early users, and the tool found an audience at retail promotions, corporate events, and bars across North America and Europe.

Approach

I used Amplitude analytics, Hotjar recordings, and user interviews to understand where people struggled and which features they needed next.

That research guided my design work on new features:

• Full customization: logos, backgrounds, rewards, and participant avatars.
• Participant data exports for marketing.
• Bulk participant imports.
• Automatic winner notifications by email.
• Options like single-entry restrictions and embedded YouTube or Spotify players.

Outcome

By 2023, the user base had grown by 300% to nearly 8,000 active users, with 37,000 site visits that year. We introduced a paid subscription through Stripe in late 2022 while keeping a free tier. Subscription revenue helped sustain the project.

The tool I had helped build for a birthday party was now used by businesses and events across two continents.

Reflection

Boom Boom Shot taught me how a small team can sustain a product without outside funding. Regular improvements based on user feedback and analytics helped turn a simple idea into a business.