The Challenge: A family ritual, a tool that felt too “homemade”
Every year we run a family Secret Santa. To simplify the draw and messaging the participants, I had already built my own little tool: it worked, quickly, without spreadsheets or improvised hat draws. The experience, however, wasn’t particularly pleasant — a rough program built for me, not for someone discovering it for the first time. When I wanted to grow my client base and show clearly what I can build, the idea became obvious: take that real need, rebuild it properly, and make it freely available to everyone on my website — useful for my family… and visible to potential clients.
The Solution: A clear web app, ready to share
I designed a Secret Santa application integrated into louisthissen.com, from creating a draw through to revealing assignments without friction:
Create in a few clicks: The organiser enters a title and email; they receive a secure admin link. No account to create, no spreadsheet to manage by hand.
Participants, groups and constraints: Add participants, group them (for example so a couple or the same household don’t draw each other), then arrange everything with drag-and-drop. The draw computes a single cycle that respects those constraints.
Nearly automatic emails: Each participant gets a personal link (assignment + wishlist). The organiser can follow send status and resend if needed — without copying messages one by one.
After the draw: lock, spoiler protection and duplication: Once the draw is run, the setup is locked. Assignments stay hidden until a deliberate confirmation (anti-spoiler). You can also duplicate a draw to run several variants with the same circle (for example one “free gifts” draw and another “paid gifts” draw), without re-entering the whole list.
Respect for data: Sensitive information (emails, names, wishlists, mail contents) is encrypted at rest. Draws expire automatically after a few months, so personal data isn’t kept longer than needed.
The Results: A tool for me — and a showcase for others
- For the family: a clearer, simpler Secret Santa, with fewer mistakes and fewer messages to write by hand.
- For the public: a free demo, shareable on social media, that anyone can try with no commitment.
- For my work: a concrete project that shows how I work — start from a real need, care about usability, and deliver a web tool that works end to end.