Introduction
Since I can remember, I’ve loved to challenge myself. Pushing my limits is a hard but exciting way to see how far I can go in tough situations. It’s not always good or healthy to put yourself in these storms, so I don’t recommend it to everyone—but for me, it’s thrilling.
A few days ago, the company where I work was preparing for its Annual Employees’ Party. At this event, they raffle different gifts to employees using a very old-school method:
- Print the full list of employees (about 600 people).
- Cut each page into little pieces of paper.
- Fold them and put them into a container.
- A volunteer randomly picks a piece, and the printed name becomes the winner.
It was clear this process involved too much unnecessary work. And as we know, almost anything can be improved with code.
My product manager suggested automating the process but warned me that if I took on the task, the solution had to be ready in less than 10 days—or it would have to wait until next year.
I accepted the challenge.
What Did I Have to Do?
We gathered the requirements and tried to keep things as simple as possible:
- Create a responsive web app (the event staff would use tablets).
- Include just two modules: Assistance and Raffle.
- Add a login system and track every change by logged-in users.
How Did I Do It?
The easiest and fastest way to launch an app like this was by using Firebase.
Firebase is Google’s platform that provides backend services (Backend-as-a-Service). It was a huge ally because it made it ridiculously easy to implement authentication and gave me access to Firestore, a NoSQL real-time database—exactly what I needed.
With Firebase handling the backend, I could fully focus on the frontend.
For that, I used Create React App (CRA) to quickly scaffold the project and start coding.
My focus was entirely on building a functional MVP. I didn’t care about styling at first—just getting it working. After four days, I had covered all requirements, fully tested the app, and received approval from the party staff.
Finally, I wrote a Node.js script to upload all the employee data (name, code, department) and then polished the UI a bit.
The Event Day
When the event arrived, I was nervous. Around 400 people were watching the big screen where the application would be used.
- It was the first time anyone saw it.
- The users were inexperienced.
- A long-standing tradition was being disrupted.
I was anxious—but the crowd’s reaction was better than I expected. The app worked smoothly with almost no issues, and every raffle was clear and successful.
Conclusion
I know this was a unique situation, and not every challenge turns out like this. But as I said at the beginning, challenges make me stronger and push me beyond my limits.
This case was successful, and it left me with two important lessons:
- Trust yourself — Before taking a risk, know how far you can go and how much you’re willing to push yourself.
- Focus on functionality first — Always prioritize the MVP and core features. Make your product usable before worrying about details or style.
I hope this story inspires someone and gives you the little bit of motivation you might need to take on your own challenge.
Spotted a typo or have a suggestion? Send me a note.