This article introduces the three main ways to integrate with our sports gamification platform, explains what widgets are and when to use them, and includes poll examples to help you choose the best approach for your needs and get started with our widgets.
⚙︎ Three Ways to Integrate Our Platform
We offer three main integration approaches to fit different technical needs and timelines:
- APIs: Each feature in the Fans United platform is exposed as an API. Use APIs if you want server-to-server integration with complete control over both frontend and backend implementation.
- SDK Integration: Our SDKs expose platform functionality in a developer-friendly way, working on web. Use SDKs if you want to customize UX on web (create new designs that fit your brand) or integrate the platform in a mobile app.
- Widget Components: Complete ready-to-use components with built-in UI and functionality
📖 Learn more about all integration options in our technical documentation.
🔎 What are the Widgets?
Widgets are ready-to-use UI components that bring our sports gamification features to life on your platform with minimal development work. Think of them as plug-and-play solutions that handle both the functionality and the user interface, so you can focus on your core business instead of building poll interfaces from scratch.
We provide the widgets for faster integration, designed to be used out-of-the-box with extensive configuration options to get clients up and running as quickly as possible. However, if your goal is complete UI control and deep customization beyond widget capabilities, we recommend using the Fans United APIs or SDKs instead.
One of the main challenges our clients have faced is the difficulty of testing and previewing polls before going live. With widgets, this problem no longer exists. Using our Storybook environment, which works with real-life data from your own polls, you can preview exactly how any poll will look and function. Once you're satisfied with what you see, simply copy the div code and embed it directly into your website—no guesswork, no surprises.
💡 When to Choose Widgets
Choose widgets if you want to:
- Get up and running quickly with minimal development work
- Launch features in hours, not weeks or months
- Have a consistent, tested user experience out of the box
- Easily preview and test your polls with real data before going live using our Storybook
Consider API/SDK integration if you need:
- Complete control over the user interface design
- Deep customization that goes beyond widget configuration options
- Integration with complex existing systems or custom workflows
- Have more development resources available for custom implementation
⚙️ How Widgets Work
Our widgets are pre-built components that you can directly embed on your website with minimal coding. They can be configured from two main places, and the best part: A div code is automatically generated for you—no manual coding required:
Management Portal configuration - Set up authentication, upload images, configure branding colors, set max attempts, and other poll-specific settings from there. The portal automatically generates embed code with the correct data attributes that you can simply copy and paste into your website.
Storybook preview and testing - Before embedding anything, preview your polls in our Storybook using your actual poll data. See exactly how they'll look, test functionality, and adjust configurations until you're satisfied to go live.
🚀 Poll Widget Preview - See What You Can Achieve!
See how your polls could look with just a few clicks! Here's a real poll created through our widgets. This example shows a branded poll widget being used for "Goal of the Round" competitions, where fans vote for their favorite goal with integrated video content and real-time results display:
Further Reading
Ready to see how the Poll widgets can work for your platform? Check out our template options and setup guides below:
Management Portal Configuration Guides:
Storybook Configuration Guides: Coming Soon 📖