1. Project Overview

Arcado is a modern gaming hub platform designed to bring together players from across the world. It provides access to thousands of games across different categories, allowing users to discover, explore, and purchase their favorite titles easily.

The primary goal of this project was to design an engaging, futuristic, and user-friendly homepage for Arcado that appeals to gamers while ensuring smooth navigation across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.

 

2. Problem Statement

Gamers today face challenges in discovering new games due to scattered platforms and overwhelming options. Most platforms either lack personalization or fail to present categories and featured games in an engaging way.Arcado aims to solve this by:Offering clear game categorization.Featuring popular and trending games upfront.Highlighting the scale and credibility of the platform (active players, awards, platforms).Creating an immersive visual-first experience that resonates with gamers.

 

3. Goals & Objectives

Visual Identity: Create a futuristic, neon-inspired look that resonates with gaming culture.

Ease of Discovery: Help users quickly find games by category or featured section.

Responsive Design: Deliver a consistent experience across desktop, tablet, and mobile.

Trust & Credibility: Showcase Arcado’s large player base, awards, and wide game library.

Call-to-Actions: Drive users toward exploring games, watching trailers, or subscribing.

 

4. Target Audience

Casual Gamers → looking for quick and fun game discovery.

Hardcore Gamers → want new releases, competitive games, and reviews.

Community-Driven Players → seek forums, Discord, and tournaments.

New Users → who want easy navigation without being overwhelmed.

 

5. Research & Insights

To understand gamer needs, I analyzed:

Existing platforms like Steam, Epic Games, and Xbox Game Pass.

Visual styles of modern gaming websites with neon, dark, and futuristic themes.

Navigation structures (categories, featured sections, trust signals).

 

Insights:

Users prefer dark mode with neon highlights for gaming platforms.

Clear categories help reduce decision fatigue.

Highlighting featured/top games increases user engagement.

Stats (players, awards) add credibility and trust.

 

6. Design Process.

Wireframing

Created low-fidelity sketches focusing on layout (hero section, categories, featured games, stats, footer).Ensured hierarchy: Hero → Categories → Featured Games → Stats → Footer.

 

UI Design

Used dark theme with neon accents (blue, green, purple) to create an immersive gaming vibe.

Designed cards for categories and featured games with visual thumbnails.

Incorporated call-to-action buttons (“Explore Games”, “Get Game”, “Watch Trailer”).

 

Responsive Design

Adjusted layouts for tablet and mobile to ensure readability and easy navigation.

Collapsed sections into stacked layouts on smaller screens.

 

7. Final Design (Homepage)Key Sections:

Hero Section – Bold Arcado title, neon effects, tagline, and CTAs.

Game Categories – Clear genre cards (Action, RPG, Strategy, Racing, Sports, Adventure, Puzzle, Shooter).

Featured Games – Top-rated games with prices, ratings, and purchase buttons.

Gaming Excellence (Stats) – Showcasing Arcado’s credibility (2.5M+ players, 15K+ games, 500+ awards).

Footer – Quick navigation, platform info, community links, support, and newsletter signup.

 

8. Tools Used

Figma → UI design and prototyping.

Chatgpt → for image adjustments.

 

9. Challenges & Solutions

Challenge: Balancing futuristic design with usability.

Solution: Used neon accents sparingly while keeping typography and navigation clean.

 

Challenge: Making the homepage responsive without losing impact.

Solution: Adapted card-based layout into stacked components for mobile while preserving CTA visibility.

 

10. Outcomes

Delivered a visually immersive homepage that captures gamer attention.

Improved navigation flow with categories and featured sections.

Designed for all screen sizes, ensuring accessibility and responsiveness.

Established Arcado’s credibility through stats and community-focused footer.

 

11. Next Steps

Expand design to Game Details Page (screenshots, trailers, reviews).

Add Personalized Recommendations for logged-in users.

Design Community Section (forums, leaderboards, tournaments).

Prototype in-app purchase flow for seamless buying.

 

12. Key Learnings

Designing for gamers requires balancing visual appeal with usability.

Responsive-first thinking ensures smooth adaptation across devices.

Adding trust-building elements (stats, awards) improves platform credibility.

Consistent neon-dark theme strengthens brand identity.