OVERVIEW
JOURNAL
QUICK NOTES
SETTINGS
GAME DISCOVERY
The Discover page helps users move from browsing to collecting to journaling. Users can search the game database, filter by genre, platform, release year, rating, and game type, then add titles to their library or start a journal entry directly from the results.
Narrow down & making discovery feel more focused and easier to act on.
SEARCH & FILTERS
Flexible way to explore games, actions like “I’m Feeling Lucky".
BROWSING
Confirms when a game has already been collected, making ownership visible.
LIBRARY
Game status show Add to Library, Currently Playing, Dropped.
STATUS SYSTEM
HOME SCREENS
The Home area gives users a personal command center for their gaming archive, connecting journals, posts, collections, galleries, consoles, and music into one place.
Brings journals and posts together. Review gaming sessions, quick updates, and saved memories by game.
MY CONTENTS
By recency, status, game type, genre, platform, publisher, and release year.
FILTER
Clear states like Completed and Playing make each game’s progress visible without opening the full detail page.
GAME STATUS
Organizes the user’s game library with status, platform, genre, release year, playtime, rating, and journal entry count.
COLLECTIONS
Retrospect.gg
Turning fragmented gaming history into a connected home for memories
TIMELINE
2025 ~
PLATFORM
Web
Mobile
PRODUCT DESIGN
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Turning gaming history into a personal archive.
Turning gaming history into a personal archive.
Gaming history often lived across disconnected places: physical notebooks, spreadsheets, notes apps, storefront libraries, screenshots, and memory. The product had string utility, but the experience needed to become more approachable for everyday use.
The product needed to support two different behaviors at once: practical collection tracking and emotional memory keeping. Users should be able to manage what they have played, what they own, and what they want to play next, but also document the stories, opinions, screenshots, and personal connections that make each game meaningful.
Gaming history often lived across disconnected places: physical notebooks, spreadsheets, notes apps, storefront libraries, screenshots, and memory. The experience needed to become more approachable for everyday use.
The product needed to support two different behaviors at once: practical collection tracking and emotional memory keeping. Users should be able to manage what they have played, what they own, and what they want to play next, but also document the stories, opinions, screenshots, and personal connections that make each game meaningful.
DESIGN PILLARS
DESIGN PILLARS
Problems to solve.
Problems to solve.
The design challenge was to make Retrospect feel less like a database and more like a living archive: structured enough to organize a large game history, but expressive enough to feel personal.
The design challenge was to make Retrospect feel less like a database and more like a living archive: structured enough to organize a large game history, but expressive enough to feel personal.
🕹️
🕹️
Memory-First Tracking
Memory-First Tracking
Designed the product around personal gaming history, not just backlog completion.
Designed the product around personal gaming history, not just backlog completion.
📓
📓
Flexible Journaling
Flexible Journaling
Supported different reflection styles, from quick notes to longer entries and freeform captures.
Supported different reflection styles, from quick notes to longer entries and freeform captures.
🎮
🎮
Collection Clarity
Collection Clarity
Made it easier to organize played, owned, wishlist, and in-progress games.
Made it easier to organize played, owned, wishlist, and in-progress games.
🧭
🧭
Discovery through Context
Discovery through Context
Helped users find games through platform, era, genre, similarity, and personal taste.
Helped users find games through platform, era, genre, similarity, and personal taste.
👤
👤
Profile Identity
Profile Identity
Turned game history into a shareable profile that reflects each user’s journey.
Turned game history into a shareable profile that reflects each user’s journey.
🔒
🔒
Private or Social
Private or Social
Gave users control over whether memories stay personal or become part of the community.
Gave users control over whether memories stay personal or become part of the community.
TESTING & CHANGES
TESTING & CHANGES
What needed refinement.
What needed refinement.
✓
✓
Discovery felt useful — testers liked filtering by platform, genre, year, and rating.
Discovery felt useful — testers liked filtering by platform, genre, year, and rating.
✓
✓
Library actions worked — Add, In Library, and Journal actions made saving games feel clear.
Library actions worked — Add, In Library, and Journal actions made saving games feel clear.
—
—
Journal needed flexibility — users wanted both quick notes and longer reflection formats.
Journal needed flexibility — users wanted both quick notes and longer reflection formats.
—
—
Feed felt active — users needed stronger filters to separate posts, journals, reviews, and notes.
Feed felt active — users needed stronger filters to separate posts, journals, reviews, and notes.
DISCOVER
Context-based browsing
Context-based browsing
Fixed: Filters helped users browse by platform, genre, year, rating, and type.
Fixed: Filters helped users browse by platform, genre, year, rating, and type.
LIBRARY
Clearer save actions
Clearer save actions
Fixed: Add, In Library, and Journal actions made each game result more actionable.
Fixed: Add, In Library, and Journal actions made each game result more actionable.
JOURNAL
Flexible entry flow
Flexible entry flow
Fixed: Quick notes, reviews, screenshots, and longer reflections were separated into clearer writing paths.
Fixed: Quick notes, reviews, screenshots, and longer reflections were separated into clearer writing paths.
FEED
Separated content types
Separated content types
Fixed: Posts, journals, reviews, and notes became easier to filter and scan.
Fixed: Posts, journals, reviews, and notes became easier to filter and scan.
MY ROLE
MY ROLE
Designing a product system for collection, reflection, and community.
Designing a product system for collection, reflection, and community.
DISCOVERY EXP
DISCOVERY
PROFILE EXP
PROFILE
JOURNAL EXP
JOURNAL
WEBSITE
WEBSITE
WEB+MOBILE APP
WEB+MOBILE APP
USERFLOW
USERFLOW
USABILITY TESTING
USABILITY TESTING
• Design system balancing quick data capture with optional deeper reflection and journaling
• Progressive disclosure patterns: minimal entry forms that expand for rich context and personal notes
• Game cards that scale from list view to full story pages, maintaining readability across platforms
• Collaborated with developers on state management, filtering logic, and smooth mobile interactions
• Design system balancing quick data capture with optional deeper reflection and journaling
• Progressive disclosure patterns: minimal entry forms that expand for rich context and personal notes
• Game cards that scale from list view to full story pages, maintaining readability across platforms
• Collaborated with developers on state management, filtering logic, and smooth mobile interactions
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
Understanding the friction.
Understanding the friction.
PLATFORM
PLATFORM
Backlogg
Backlogg
Letterboxd
Letterboxd
Steam
Steam
Retrospect
COLLECTION
✓
—
✓
JOURNALING
—
✓
✓
DISCOVERY
✓
✓
✓
RATING
✓
✓
—
PLATFORMS
—
—
✓
INTEGRATION
—
—
—
COLLECTION
✓
—
✓
✓
JOURNALING
—
✓
✓
✓
DISCOVERY
✓
✓
✓
✓
RATING
✓
✓
—
✓
PLATFORMS
—
—
✓
✓
INTEGRATION
—
—
—
✓
Retrospect.gg
Turning fragmented gaming history into a connected home for memories
TIMELINE
2025 ~
PLATFORM
Web
Mobile
PRODUCT DESIGN
Retrospect.gg
Turning fragmented gaming history into a connected home for memories
TIMELINE
2025 ~
PLATFORM
Web
Mobile
PRODUCT DESIGN
BACKGROUND
Turning gaming history into a personal archive.
Gaming history often lived across disconnected places: physical notebooks, spreadsheets, notes apps, storefront libraries, screenshots, and memory. The experience needed to become more approachable for everyday use.
The product needed to support two different behaviors at once: practical collection tracking and emotional memory keeping. Users should be able to manage what they have played, what they own, and what they want to play next, but also document the stories, opinions, screenshots, and personal connections that make each game meaningful.
RESEARCH
Understanding the friction.
PLATFORM
Backlogg
Letterboxd
Steam
COLLECT
✓
—
✓
✓
JOURNAL
✓
✓
✓
✓
DISCOVER
✓
✓
✓
✓
RATING
✓
✓
✓
✓
INTEGRATION
✓
✓
✓
✓
DESIGN PILLARS
Problems to solve.
The design challenge was to make Retrospect feel less like a database and more like a living archive: structured enough to organize a large game history, but expressive enough to feel personal.
🕹️
Memory-First Tracking
Designed the product around personal gaming history, not just backlog completion.
📓
Flexible Journaling
Supported different reflection styles, from quick notes to longer entries and freeform captures.
🎮
Collection Clarity
Made it easier to organize played, owned, wishlist, and in-progress games.
🧭
Discovery through Context
Helped users find games through platform, era, genre, similarity, and personal taste.
👤
Profile Identity
Turned game history into a shareable profile that reflects each user’s journey.
🔒
Private or Social
Gave users control over whether memories stay personal or become part of the community.
TESTING & CHANGES
What needed refinement.
✓
Discovery felt useful — testers liked filtering by platform, genre, year, and rating.
✓
Library actions worked — Add, In Library, and Journal actions made saving games feel clear.
—
Journal needed flexibility — users wanted both quick notes and longer reflection formats.
—
Feed felt active — users needed stronger filters to separate posts, journals, reviews, and notes.
DISCOVER
Context-based browsing
Fixed: Filters helped users browse by platform, genre, year, rating, and type.
LIBRARY
Clearer save actions
Fixed: Add, In Library, and Journal actions made each game result more actionable.
JOURNAL
Flexible entry flow
Fixed: Quick notes, reviews, screenshots, and longer reflections were separated into clearer writing paths.
FEED
Separated content types
Fixed: Posts, journals, reviews, and notes became easier to filter and scan.
OVERVIEW
JOURNAL
QUICK NOTES
SETTINGS
GAME DISCOVERY
The Discover page helps users move from browsing to collecting to journaling. Users can search the game database, filter by genre, platform, release year, rating, and game type, then add titles to their library or start a journal entry directly from the results.
Narrow down & making discovery feel more focused and easier to act on.
SEARCH & FILTERS
Flexible way to explore games, actions like “I’m Feeling Lucky".
BROWSING
Confirms when a game has already been collected, making ownership visible.
LIBRARY
Game status show Add to Library, Currently Playing, Dropped.
STATUS SYSTEM
HOME SCREENS
The Home area gives users a personal command center for their gaming archive, connecting journals, posts, collections, galleries, consoles, and music into one place.
Brings journals and posts together. Review gaming sessions, quick updates, and saved memories by game.
MY CONTENTS
Clear states like Completed and Playing make each game’s progress visible without opening the full detail page.
GAME STATUS
Organizes the user’s game library with status, platform, genre, release year, playtime, rating, and journal entry count.
COLLECTIONS