The main goal of this project is to develop a robust sweepstakes platform for sweepstakes.ca that integrates a product purchase system, payment integration, and a ticket system. The platform aims to provide a seamless user experience, allowing participants to buy products, receive entries into sweepstakes, and ensure secure and reliable payment processing. The ultimate objective is to create a legally compliant and engaging platform that facilitates sweepstakes operations while driving business success for sweepstakes.ca

1.   Platform Research and Planning: Students should thoroughly analyze the existing platform of;

80eighty.com

as a “For Profit” reference for interface development; this is similar to what is to be built.

additionally;

https://give2win.ca/merch

additionally;

Onecountry.com

as a “Not for Profit” reference for interface development that will involve a charitable organization partnership in sharing the proceeds received.

Functionality of integration and payment processing for a "not for profit" can utilize RallyUp --

https://rallyup.com

-- as a free fundraising and donation platform for charitable organizations.  

Each should identify key features, functionalities, and user experience elements that would be relevant and desirable for sweepstakes.ca. This research will inform the planning and design phase.

2.   Requirements Gathering: Students should engage with sweepstakes.ca stakeholders to understand their specific needs and requirements for the platform. This includes determining the scope of the project, desired features, target audience, and business objectives. A comprehensive list of functional and non-functional requirements should be compiled.

3.   Design and User Experience: Based on the research and requirements gathering, students should create a design and user experience plan for the sweepstakes platform. This includes wireframing, prototyping, and designing intuitive user interfaces that facilitate easy product purchases, ticket entry, and seamless navigation.

4.   Payment Integration: Students should research and integrate a secure payment gateway into the sweepstakes platform. This involves assessing available payment options in Canada, such as credit cards, PayPal, or other popular payment processors, and implementing a system that ensures smooth and secure transactions for participants purchasing products.

5.   Ticket System Implementation: Students should develop a ticket system that allows participants to receive entries into the sweepstakes upon purchasing products. This system should generate unique ticket numbers, track ticket allocation, and enable accurate entry counts for each participant.

6.   Backend Development: Students should work on the backend development of the sweepstakes platform, including setting up a robust database to store user information, product details, ticket data, and transaction records. They should also implement necessary security measures to protect user data and ensure compliance with privacy laws.

7.   Testing and Quality Assurance: Students should perform comprehensive testing of the sweepstakes platform to identify and fix any bugs, errors, or usability issues. This includes conducting functional testing, integration testing, and user acceptance testing to ensure the platform functions as intended and provides a smooth user experience.

8.   Deployment and Launch: Once the platform has been thoroughly tested and deemed ready, students should deploy it to a production environment and oversee its launch. This includes managing any necessary infrastructure setup, domain registration, and configuration of hosting services to make the platform accessible to users.

9.    Ongoing Maintenance and Support: Students should provide recommendations and documentation for ongoing maintenance and support of the sweepstakes platform. This includes outlining best practices for system updates, data backups, security monitoring, and addressing user inquiries or issues that may arise post-launch.