Trivia Night

Inspiration

As a local bar owner, I grew frustrated with cobbling together spreadsheets, timers, and random question lists for weekly trivia nights—my regulars deserved something polished. I wanted a tool that felt intuitive for hosts but exciting for audiences, built for the chaos and fun of live trivia.

What it does

Trivia Night Host is a web app that centralizes every part of running trivia events: team management, customizable timers, a 10k+ question library (filterable by category/difficulty), custom question creation, real-time scoring, and fullscreen audience displays for questions/leaderboards. It adapts to in-person bar nights or virtual streams seamlessly.

How we built it

I started by mapping core host pain points (clunky scorekeeping, repetitive questions) to features, then built the frontend with React/Bootstrap for responsive, high-contrast visuals. The backend uses Node.js/Express to manage the question database (MongoDB) and real-time updates via Socket.io. I integrated Web Audio API for sound effects and Fullscreen API for audience views.

Challenges we ran into

Syncing real-time scores across the host dashboard and audience leaderboard took trial-and-error—initial delays broke the live flow. Also, ensuring the timer was accurate across devices (and could pause/reset mid-question) required fine-tuning timer logic to avoid drift.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Creating a tool that’s now used by 5 local bars for weekly trivia nights—hosts love the one-click quick start, and audiences rave about the visual leaderboards. The custom question builder has also become a hit for private parties (birthdays, corporate events).

What we learned

I deepened my understanding of real-time web communication (Socket.io) and user-centric design—prioritizing host workflow over technical complexity made the app far more usable. I also learned to iterate fast: early testers (local hosts) flagged small but critical issues (like timer volume controls) that shaped the final build.

What's next for this project

First, add themed question packs (holidays, pop culture eras) to the library. Then, build a simple export feature for event score history (hosts asked for this to share with teams post-event). Finally, refine the virtual mode with screen-sharing optimized layouts for Zoom/Teams.

Built With

• express.js
• fullscreenapi
• mongodb
• node.js
• webaudioapi