EduStream: Interactive Webinar Platform

The Challenge

Our client, a leading educational technology company, approached us with an ambitious vision: to create a webinar platform that would revolutionize online education. They were frustrated with existing solutions that felt impersonal and failed to replicate the energy of in-person learning.

The platform needed to support thousands of simultaneous participants while maintaining high-quality video streaming, real-time interaction, and comprehensive analytics. The technical challenges were significant:

• Ultra-low latency video streaming for up to 5,000 concurrent viewers
• Real-time engagement tools (polls, Q&A, reactions, whiteboard)
• Smart recording and automatic content generation
• Advanced analytics and AI-powered insights
• Integration with existing LMS platforms

Our Approach

We assembled a cross-functional team of backend engineers, frontend developers, and DevOps specialists to tackle this complex project. Our strategy was built on three pillars:

1. Scalable Architecture

We designed a microservices architecture using WebRTC for peer-to-peer connections and a hybrid CDN approach for video distribution. This allowed us to scale horizontally while maintaining sub-200ms latency for 99% of users globally.

2. Engagement-First Design

Working closely with educational psychologists, we implemented features that maximize participant engagement: real-time polls that appear dynamically, gamified reactions, breakout rooms for small group discussions, and an AI moderator that helps speakers identify when attention is waning.

3. Data-Driven Insights

We built a sophisticated analytics engine that tracks over 40 engagement metrics, from attention span patterns to question quality. The platform uses machine learning to provide presenters with actionable recommendations for improving their content.

Technical Implementation

The platform leverages a modern tech stack optimized for real-time communication:

• Frontend: React with TypeScript for type safety, Redux for state management, and WebRTC for peer connections
• Backend: Node.js microservices with Socket.io for real-time events, Redis for session management
• Video Infrastructure: Custom WebRTC SFU (Selective Forwarding Unit) with Janus for media routing
• Database: PostgreSQL for transactional data, MongoDB for analytics, Elasticsearch for content search
• AI/ML: TensorFlow.js for client-side engagement detection, Python microservices for sentiment analysis
• Infrastructure: Kubernetes on AWS with auto-scaling, CloudFront CDN for content delivery

Key Features Delivered

Interactive Whiteboard: A collaborative canvas where presenters and participants can draw, annotate, and brainstorm together in real-time, with automatic shape recognition and gesture support.

Smart Breakout Rooms: AI-powered grouping based on participant interests and engagement levels, with seamless transitions and shared resources.

Live Transcription: Real-time speech-to-text in 12 languages with speaker identification and automatic translation.

Engagement Dashboard: A presenter-facing dashboard showing real-time attention metrics, sentiment analysis, and AI-generated suggestions for improving delivery.

Content Library: Automatic recording, transcription, and chapter generation. AI creates summaries, extracts key quotes, and suggests related content.

Overcoming Challenges

During development, we faced several critical challenges:

Latency at Scale: Our initial architecture struggled with latency when exceeding 2,000 concurrent users. We solved this by implementing a regional mesh network of SFU servers with intelligent routing based on geographic proximity and load.

Mobile Performance: Battery drain was a significant issue on mobile devices. We developed an adaptive streaming algorithm that dynamically adjusts quality based on battery level and connection strength, reducing power consumption by 60%.

Network Resilience: To handle unstable connections, we implemented a sophisticated buffer management system and automatic quality adaptation that maintains engagement even on 3G networks.