Fan Companion is the underlying app framework / product for iOS and Android.
The front-end product is built on Monterosa / Interaction Cloud™ SDKs and controlled by the platform console. The concepts associated with Fan Companion are integrally linked to the way that the platform itself works.
As part of delivering a solution for a sport or TV show, the Monterosa team apply design and configure the Fan Companion product. This creates a special version of the app which looks and feels unique, but benefits from a vast range of pre-existing functionality and capability.
In Monterosa terminology, Fan Companion is known as a Product and Monterosa / Interaction Cloud™ is known as the Platform. The Interaction Cloud has many components, the platform is the web-based console that product managers and content producers use to setup and control apps.
The user experience centres around a live content feed known as the Latest Feed, pictured above, combined with a Discover section that provides special content a persistent place to live. When the user taps a content Element, it opens in a dedicated view.
Events & Elements
Fan Companion is built on the concept of an Event Schedule, unique to the backend software on which the app is created, Monterosa / Interaction Cloud™. An Event can be a TV show or a sports game, or it can simply be a day or week of activity. This encourages real-time thinking.
Here is an example of the Interaction Cloud console showing a range of events. The red Live events are active, the blue Manual events are waiting to be started, and the yellow Upcoming event has been scheduled to start automatically.
Inside every Event, the Interaction Cloud has a virtual Timeline, on which you can add, remove and edit two-way interactivity via content Elements. Polls, Quizzes, Articles or Videos are all Elements.
Unlike CMS systems, the platform does not just publish one-way: it listens to the audience response and re-publishes results in real-time. For example what percentage of people answered a poll option.
Each Element has its own settings and characteristics. This illustrates a Quiz element being setup by a content producer. It can be setup in advance and triggered to appear only when needed.
Live Publishing in Monterosa / Interaction Cloud™
All content Elements are created, scheduled or published live from the Monterosa / Interaction Cloud™️ either manually or automatically via integration into a CMS or data feed.
When an Element is created and published into the Timeline, it triggers instantly. Most users will receive the Poll, Article or other element in under a second. Elements can usually be Revoked if a mistake is made.
App Setup
The app's persistent behaviour is controlled in the platforms App Setup tab. For instance if you want to add a new navigation item or change a sponsorship logo. Some content, such as in the Discover section, is also setup within this tab.
Changing an item in the App Setup creates a new configuration for the app that takes effect when the app is switched to background and brought back to the foreground again.
Take-out Terms
The terms you should now be familiar with include: