Trove Analytics
Game Dashboard Mobile App
For this project, I designed an app that theoretically consolidates data from multiple gaming platforms into a personalized dashboard, tracking hours played, achievements, and genres. Currently, there is no central location for gamers to monitor all their statistics. For this app, I manually gathered my personal gaming data from three platforms: Steam, Nintendo, and Microsoft, and recorded achievements unlocked, playtime, and game genre. This project’s scope included branding work (logo, color scheme, UI elements), as well as wireframes, data visualizations, and a prototype. The goal of this project is apply my knowledge from both of my majors, Communication Design and Media Analytics, by analyzing my own gaming data to illustrate the app's functionality and creating engaging visualizations. Through this, I aim to understand my gaming habits and enhance my skills in user experience and interface design.
Branding & Iconography
For this project, I aimed for an abstract logo and brand name, steering away from the obvious choices like “game” or “play” to challenge myself creatively. After mind-mapping and brainstorming various video game genres, I gravitated towards fantasy and chose “Trove" to suggest a "Treasure Trove" of data for users. The app would allow users to customize their dashboard to suit their needs, discovering a wealth of data gems. I also designed the iconography color scheme to be simple but with a pop of personality to ensure users would not be distracted by the interface but remain visually interested. This abstract approach was an excited challenge, and I am proud of the results!
User Interface
Prototype Walk-Through
Data Dashboard & Personal Insights
I learned quite a bit about my gaming habits while gathering and analyzing my data across three separate mediums. Some of the games I’ve been playing for as long as I can remember, such as Wizard101 and Minecraft, were among those I couldn’t retrieve any data for. Therefore, all my data is based only on what I could find from my Steam, Microsoft, and Nintendo accounts.
Overview
Total Hours Played Across All Games: 2020 hours (84 days)
Most Played Genres: FPS, RPG, and Life Sim
Most Played Game: Baldur's Gate 3 with 461 hours logged
Game with Most Achievements Unlocked: Terraria with 53 achievements
Preferred Platform for Diverse Genres: Xbox is heavily used for FPS, Party, MMO, and Music games, while Steam is preferred for RPG, Life Sim, and Action-Adventure games.
It’s fascinating that some of these games, despite my no longer playing them, continue to have a lasting impact on my data story. For instance, Destiny, with 385 hours played and 41 achievements unlocked, remains a significant part of my gaming history, even though I haven't opened the game since 2016. Games like Destiny, among many others, serve as milestones that highlight my evolving interests and the ever-shifting landscape of my gaming experiences. This influence underscores the value of having a comprehensive app like Trove, which can archive and display the full breadth of anyone’s gaming history, offering insights into both users’ pasts as well as current gaming trends.
Process Sketches & Wireframing
