Creative Countdown
Creative Countdown is a local store where you can order and purchase a custom countdown calendar for birthdays, engagements, weddings, anniversaries, baby showers, or any other event you have.
The client initially contacted us because their online store was not 100% finished and had many bugs. Therefore, we started working on improving the checkout process and fixing key functionalities in order to launch the website live.
The site was originally built using Laravel, but with some non-standard modules. Because of this, we made significant improvements and implemented code refactoring where necessary to comply with the framework standards.
We have worked on Creative Countdown's countdown wizard, where the client can manage their designs and requests. Users can check and update dates, choose the countdown format (digital or printed), and monitor the progress and status of orders. Once the order is complete, users can pay online with major credit cards through the Stripe payment gateway.
UI/UX Design
The web design is something we plan to update soon to meet new device capabilities (e.g. Retina display).
We've improved the existing theme by fixing bugs and increasing compatibility with major browsers and devices. Additionally, we took advantage of the Bootstrap framework to implement better user interfaces on the desktop version. The mobile-friendly version is in development and will be released soon.
Shipping Cost Calculation Module
We customized shipping methods and cost calculation based on our customers' needs. The original module was very limited, so we implemented the new cost check based on the number of products per order and the shipping destination. We also allow assigning the weight of the products via a configuration file, which is included in the total shipping calculation. The user can choose between different shipping methods: economy, standard and express.
Dynamic Page Manager
A module was implemented to manage static and dynamic pages. The site administrator can create, view, edit and delete any content, making it easier to create promotional campaigns and improve the website's SEO.
PDF Generator Module
All calendars must be generated in PDF files for printing. Initially, the module was very buggy, so we customized and improved it. We also contributed a PR to the php-pdf-merge library Github repository showing our commitment to using and improving open source tools.
Server Administration
We also configured the existing DigitalOcean droplet (server) to fix bugs and optimize resources. We are currently in charge of maintaining the server, which was configured with Ubuntu, Apache, PHP, and MySQL. We perform frequent software updates and have installed a set of monitoring tools for real-time checking of server resources.
Technologies
Technologies used include PHP, MySQL, HTML, and Javascript.
- Laravel: Open-source PHP framework for web applications based on the MVC pattern.
- Bootstrap: Free and open-source front-end framework for designing websites and web applications.
Migration to serverless infrastructure
In 2024, we migrated Creative Countdown to a serverless infrastructure, deployed with DigitalOcean App Platform, using PHP 8 and managed MySQL 8. This migration allowed us to improve scalability and reduce the complexity of server management and dependencies, ensuring optimal performance and reducing downtime.