Collaborative Live Mode: Interview as a Team

Interview Together, Capture Together

Collaborative Live Mode transforms solo interviews into team experiences. Multiple people can join your live interview session, see real-time progress, and help capture important moments—all perfectly synchronized.

The Power of Collaboration

Before Collaborative Mode:

  • Host conducts interview alone
  • Producer can't see what's happening
  • Team members miss important context
  • Post-production takes longer

With Collaborative Mode:

  • Host leads the interview
  • Producer captures events in real-time
  • Team monitors progress together
  • Everyone stays synchronized
  • Post-production starts during recording

[PLACEHOLDER: Diagram showing host + co-hosts + guests all connected]

What is Collaborative Live Mode?

Collaborative Live Mode allows multiple people to join your live interview session with different levels of access:

Three Participant Roles

👑 Creator (You)

  • Owns the interview
  • Full control over everything
  • Starts and ends the session
  • Controls question navigation
  • Can capture events
  • Manages access

🎙️ Co-Host

  • Full participant access
  • Can capture events
  • Can see everything
  • Can add links
  • Cannot control questions
  • Cannot end interview

👁️ Guest (View-Only)

  • Read-only access
  • Sees questions and progress
  • Sees captured events
  • Can add links (only!)
  • Cannot capture events
  • Cannot control questions

[PLACEHOLDER: Table showing permissions by role]

Use Cases

🎤 Host + Producer Workflow

Perfect for professional podcast production:

Host's role:

  • Focus completely on the interview
  • Ask questions and listen actively
  • Navigate between questions
  • Stay present with the guest

Producer's role:

  • Monitor from control room
  • Capture technical issues (coughs, glitches)
  • Mark great quotes and highlights
  • Note chapter markers
  • Add reference links in real-time
  • Let host focus on conversation

Result: Better interviews, faster post-production, clearer communication.

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot showing host and producer views side-by-side]

👥 Team Monitoring

Great for larger productions:

Who joins:

  • Host (conducting interview)
  • Producer (capturing events)
  • Sound engineer (monitoring audio issues)
  • Content manager (noting highlights for social)
  • Junior producer (learning the process)

Benefits:

  • Everyone sees the same information
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Training opportunities
  • Faster decision-making
  • Better coverage of important moments

🎓 Training & Mentoring

Perfect for onboarding:

Trainer enters as Co-Host:

  • New host conducts interview
  • Trainer monitors progress
  • Captures important training moments
  • Provides feedback after
  • Builds confidence

Guest Mode for observers:

  • Trainees watch experienced hosts
  • See the process in real-time
  • Learn workflow without interfering
  • Ask questions after the session

🎬 Remote Co-Hosting

Great for shows with multiple hosts:

  • Host A leads the interview
  • Host B monitors and captures moments
  • Both see the same questions
  • Both see events as they're captured
  • Seamless collaboration across locations

How to Start a Collaborative Session

Step 1: Enable Collaboration

From your interview details page:

  1. Click "Go Live" to enter Live Mode
  2. Look for "Start Collaborative Session" button
  3. Click to start the session
  4. A unique Share Code is generated

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of starting collaboration]

Step 2: Share the Code

You'll see a 6-character share code like:

ABC123

Share this code with your team via:

  • Slack message
  • Text message
  • Email
  • Video chat
  • Voice call

Security note: This code is unique to this interview session and expires when the interview ends.

Step 3: Team Members Join

Co-Hosts join:

  1. Go to InterviewCue
  2. Click "Join Live Session" (top nav or homepage)
  3. Enter the share code
  4. Click "Join as Co-Host"
  5. They're immediately in sync!

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of join dialog]

Guests join (optional):

If you enabled Guest Mode:

  1. Share the separate guest code
  2. Guests enter that code
  3. They join with view-only access

The Collaborative Interface

What Everyone Sees

Synchronized across all participants:

  • ✅ Current question
  • ✅ Background notes
  • ✅ Timer (exact time)
  • ✅ Question navigation state
  • ✅ Participant list
  • ✅ All captured events (in real-time)
  • ✅ Reference links

Updates happen instantly (within 500ms) for everyone.

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot showing synchronized views]

Creator (Host) View

Special controls only you see:

  • End Interview button
  • Start Recording button
  • Question navigation controls (only you can navigate)
  • Pause/Resume control
  • Session management

What you can do:

  • Everything Co-Hosts can do
  • Plus: Control the interview flow
  • Plus: End the session
  • Plus: Manage access

Co-Host View

Full participation without control:

You can:

  • ✅ Capture all event types (1-5 hotkeys)
  • ✅ Add reference links
  • ✅ See all questions and notes
  • ✅ View participant list
  • ✅ See timer and progress

You cannot:

  • ❌ Navigate questions (only Creator can)
  • ❌ Start or end the interview
  • ❌ Pause the timer
  • ❌ Kick out participants

Why: Prevents conflicting navigation and maintains clear leadership.

Guest View

Watch-only with minimal contribution:

You can:

  • ✅ See current question
  • ✅ See background notes
  • ✅ See timer and progress
  • ✅ See participant list
  • ✅ Add links (your one contribution)

You cannot:

  • ❌ Capture any events
  • ❌ Navigate questions
  • ❌ Control anything
  • ❌ Interfere with the interview

Why: Perfect for observers, trainees, or the actual interview guest.

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of Guest Mode view with limited UI]

Real-Time Synchronization

How It Works

InterviewCue uses state-based synchronization:

  1. All session state stored in database
  2. Each change updates a version number
  3. Participants poll every 500ms
  4. If version changed, they fetch new state
  5. UI updates instantly

Benefits:

  • Works across server instances
  • Survives disconnections
  • Always consistent
  • Debuggable (state visible in database)

What Gets Synchronized

Instantly synchronized:

  • Current question changes
  • Events captured by anyone
  • Links added by anyone
  • Timer updates
  • Participant joins/leaves
  • Pause/resume state

Not synchronized (participant-local):

  • Scroll position
  • Modal open/closed state
  • Text being typed (before submission)

Handling Disconnections

If a participant loses internet:

What happens:

  • They see "Reconnecting..." message
  • State polling continues trying
  • When reconnected, they sync immediately
  • They see all changes that happened

They don't:

  • Lose their place
  • Get kicked from session
  • Cause issues for others

Result: Robust, forgiving collaboration.

Capturing Events Collaboratively

Who Can Capture

Creators and Co-Hosts: All event types
Guests: No events (links only)

Capture Workflow

  1. Anyone presses a hotkey (1-5)
  2. Event dialog opens
  3. They type notes
  4. Event is saved with their name
  5. Everyone sees it immediately

Example:

04:23 - Highlight ⭐ (Captured by Producer Sarah)
"Amazing Beijing story - use in promo"

Everyone knows who captured what!

Event Attribution

All events show who captured them:

  • Your events: "Captured by You"
  • Others' events: "Captured by [Name]"
  • Timeline: Shows full attribution

Benefits:

  • Clear accountability
  • Easy to identify capture patterns
  • Training feedback opportunities
  • Better post-production communication

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot showing event attribution]

Avoiding Conflicts

Best practices to avoid duplicate captures:

Strategy 1: Assign roles

  • Host: Focus on conversation, capture sparingly
  • Producer: Primary event capture
  • Others: Only capture if producer misses something

Strategy 2: Communicate

  • Use external chat (Slack, Teams)
  • Quick "got it" confirmations
  • Pre-defined responsibilities

Strategy 3: Don't worry about duplicates

  • Easy to delete duplicates later
  • Better to over-capture than miss something
  • Err on the side of more coverage

Managing Participants

Participant List

See everyone currently in the session:

Shows:

  • Participant name
  • Role (Creator, Co-Host, Guest)
  • Join time
  • Active status

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of participant list]

How to view:

  • Always visible in sidebar (desktop)
  • Expandable panel (mobile)
  • Shows real-time updates

Adding More Participants

Share the same code with anyone else:

  • Code works until session ends
  • No limit on co-hosts (reasonable use)
  • Guest limit configurable (default: 10)

Removing Participants

Currently: Participants can only leave themselves

To leave a session:

  1. Click "Leave Session" button
  2. Confirm
  3. Return to interview details page

Future feature: Creators will be able to kick participants if needed.

Guest Mode (View-Only)

Guest Access Enabled by Default

When you enable collaborative mode, guest access is automatically enabled along with co-host access. This makes it easy to invite both full participants and observers.

What happens when you click "Enable Collaborative Mode":

  1. A co-host share code is generated
  2. Guest access is automatically enabled
  3. A separate guest code is generated
  4. You can disable guest access later if you don't need it

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of collaborative mode with both codes visible]

Guest Code

Guest code is separate from co-host code:

Co-Host code: ABC-XYZ-123 (full participation)
Guest code: DEF-UVW-456 (view-only)

Why separate?

  • Control access levels
  • Prevent accidental interference
  • Clear role distinction
  • You can disable guest access while keeping co-host access active

Guest Permissions

Guests have minimal interaction:

✅ Can:

  • View current question
  • See background notes
  • See timer
  • View events as they're captured
  • See participant list
  • Add links (their one contribution!)

❌ Cannot:

  • Capture events
  • Navigate questions
  • Control anything
  • Interfere with interview

Guest Use Cases

Perfect for:

  1. Actual interview guest - They can follow along and add relevant links
  2. Observers - Stakeholders watching the process
  3. Trainees - Learning without risk of interference
  4. Clients - Seeing the production process
  5. Remote team members - Staying informed without needing control

[PLACEHOLDER: Guest Mode UI screenshot]

Best Practices

Roles & Responsibilities

Before the interview, agree on:

Host:

  • Lead the conversation
  • Navigate questions
  • Minimal event capture
  • Stay present with guest

Producer:

  • Monitor audio levels
  • Capture audio issues (1 key)
  • Mark chapter breaks (4 key)
  • Watch for technical problems

Content Manager:

  • Capture highlights (3 key)
  • Mark quotable moments
  • Note social media clips
  • Track promotional content

Clear roles = No conflicts

Communication

Use external chat for coordination:

  • Slack/Teams channel
  • Text message thread
  • Discord voice chat

What to communicate:

  • "Got that highlight"
  • "Marking chapter here"
  • "Great quote at 12:34"
  • "Audio issue - I'm noting it"

Result: Everyone knows what's being captured without on-screen clutter.

Pre-Session Checklist

15 minutes before interview:

  1. ✅ Start collaborative session
  2. ✅ Share codes with team
  3. ✅ Verify everyone joined
  4. ✅ Confirm roles and responsibilities
  5. ✅ Test event capture (practice run)
  6. ✅ Check audio/video setup
  7. ✅ Open external chat channel

During the Interview

Host best practices:

  • Focus on conversation
  • Let team handle captures
  • Navigate questions naturally
  • Trust your team

Co-Host best practices:

  • Stay alert but unobtrusive
  • Quick capture with minimal notes
  • Don't over-capture
  • Watch for what others miss

Guest observer best practices:

  • Just watch and learn
  • Don't interfere
  • Save questions for after

Technical Details

Session Lifecycle

1. Session Creation:

  • Host enters Live Mode
  • Clicks "Start Collaborative Session"
  • Unique session created in database
  • Share codes generated

2. Active Session:

  • Participants join via codes
  • Real-time state synchronization
  • Events captured and synced
  • Everyone stays updated

3. Session End:

  • Host clicks "End Interview"
  • Session deleted from database
  • All participants redirected
  • Codes become invalid

State Synchronization

Poll interval: 500ms (twice per second)

What's polled:

  • Current question index
  • Timer state and time
  • Is paused?
  • Event list
  • Participant list
  • Last action details

Efficiency:

  • Only sends updates when version changes
  • Minimal bandwidth
  • Fast responses

Offline Behavior

If participant goes offline:

  • Stops receiving updates
  • Shows "Reconnecting..." indicator
  • Continues trying to reconnect
  • Syncs fully when back online

If creator goes offline:

  • Session remains active
  • Co-hosts can still capture
  • Timer continues
  • Auto-sync when creator returns

Troubleshooting

Can't Start Collaborative Session

Possible causes:

  • Interview not started yet (click "Start Recording" first)
  • Already in a session
  • Network connectivity issues

Solutions:

  • Start the interview first
  • Check internet connection
  • Refresh the page

Co-Host Can't Join

Possible causes:

  • Wrong share code
  • Session hasn't been created yet
  • Session already ended
  • Network issues

Solutions:

  • Double-check the code (case-sensitive)
  • Verify host started collaboration
  • Get a fresh code from host
  • Check internet connection

Not Seeing Real-Time Updates

Possible causes:

  • Network lag
  • Browser throttling (tab in background)
  • Session connectivity issue

Solutions:

  • Bring InterviewCue tab to foreground
  • Refresh the page
  • Check internet connection
  • Try a different browser

Events Not Syncing

If your events aren't appearing for others:

  • Check your internet connection
  • Verify you're still in the session
  • Refresh the page
  • Try capturing again

If you're not seeing others' events:

  • Check internet connection
  • Refresh the page
  • Verify session is still active

Security & Privacy

Access Control

Share codes are secure:

  • Randomly generated (36^6 = 2 billion combinations)
  • Unique per session
  • Expire when interview ends
  • Not reusable

Best practices:

  • Only share with trusted team members
  • Use separate guest code for observers
  • Codes can't be guessed

Data Privacy

Who can see what:

  • Participants see only this interview's data
  • No access to your other interviews
  • No account access
  • Limited to session duration

After session ends:

  • Participants lose access immediately
  • Codes become invalid
  • Data remains in your interview only

Permissions

Creators (You):

  • Own the interview
  • Control access
  • Can end session anytime
  • Full post-production access

Co-Hosts:

  • Access during session only
  • Can capture events
  • No post-production access (unless shared separately)
  • Cannot modify interview structure

Guests:

  • View-only (plus add links)
  • No lasting access
  • No post-production access
  • Cannot capture anything

Frequently Asked Questions

Can co-hosts access the interview after it ends?

No. Collaborative session access ends when the interview ends. To give someone post-production access, use the Share feature instead.

How many people can join?

Co-Hosts: Unlimited (reasonable use)
Guests: Default 10, configurable

Do participants need InterviewCue accounts?

Co-Hosts: Yes, must be logged in
Guests: No, guest mode works without account (future feature)

Can I use this for remote interviews?

Absolutely! Perfect for distributed teams. Host and producers can be anywhere.

What if the host gets disconnected?

Session remains active. Host reconnects and resumes control. Everything stays synchronized.

Can multiple people navigate questions?

No, only the Creator can navigate. This prevents conflicting navigation.

Can I start collaboration mid-interview?

Yes! Start the interview, then enable collaboration whenever you're ready.

Does this work with Practice Mode?

Yes! Great for team training sessions.

Example Workflows

Podcast Production Team

Setup:

  • Host in recording studio
  • Producer in control room
  • Content manager working remotely

Process:

  1. Host starts interview and collaboration
  2. Producer joins as co-host
  3. Content manager joins as co-host
  4. Host focuses on conversation
  5. Producer captures audio issues and chapters
  6. Content manager captures highlights and quotes
  7. Host ends interview
  8. Team reviews timeline together

Result: 3x better coverage, host stays focused, faster post-production.

Solo Creator with Remote Producer

Setup:

  • Creator interviews from home office
  • Producer monitors from their location

Process:

  1. Creator starts interview
  2. Producer joins as co-host
  3. Creator conducts interview naturally
  4. Producer handles all event capture
  5. Creator stays completely present
  6. Producer marks everything important

Result: Professional production with solo creator budget.

Training New Hosts

Setup:

  • Experienced host mentoring new host
  • New host conducts practice interview

Process:

  1. New host starts Practice Mode
  2. Mentor joins as co-host
  3. New host asks questions
  4. Mentor captures training notes
  5. Review together after session
  6. Repeat until confident

Result: Hands-on training with expert guidance.

Related Documentation

Get Started with Collaboration

Ready to interview as a team?

  1. Start an interview
  2. Click "Go Live"
  3. Enable "Start Collaborative Session"
  4. Share the code with your team
  5. Watch the magic happen!

Better interviews happen when teams work together. 🎙️👥