Case Study: Story Trials Full-Stack System

One-Line Version

I built Story Trials, a full-stack prototype for decentralized licensing of synthetic health datasets using Next.js, Express, PostgreSQL/Prisma, IPFS, and Story Protocol on the Aeneid testnet.

Problem

Health data access is often opaque: contributors lose visibility over ownership, licensing, and compensation. Story Trials explored whether blockchain-based intellectual property rails could make synthetic health dataset licensing more transparent and auditable.

System

Users can:

1. Connect a MetaMask wallet through RainbowKit/WalletConnect.
2. Register a synthetic dataset.
3. Upload metadata to IPFS.
4. Register the dataset as an IP asset on Story Protocol.
5. Browse a marketplace of datasets.
6. Purchase a licence with on-chain proof.
7. View royalty/licence history.

Stack

• Frontend: Next.js
• Backend: Express.js API
• Database: PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM
• Storage: IPFS for dataset metadata
• Chain: Story Protocol, Aeneid testnet
• Wallet/Auth: MetaMask, RainbowKit, WalletConnect
• Tests: Vitest

What I Owned

• End-to-end architecture and implementation.
• Data model design with users, assets, licences, trials, submissions, royalty events, and payouts.
• Story Protocol SDK integration.
• IPFS mode handling.
• Functional testing and usability evaluation.
• Dissertation-quality technical writeup and demo.

Proof

• Demo dataset: 14 registered assets and 7 licences.
• Real on-chain transactions on Aeneid testnet, not mocked.
• All 6 core workflows passed end-to-end functional testing.
• 35 automated Vitest tests passed across validation, synthetic data guard, user utilities, and IPFS local mode.
• Usability test with 5 participants produced an average SUS score of 88.5.

Limitations I Identified

• Backend-held signing key is not production-safe for a true trustless system.
• Testnet-only deployment means real economics, gas, and reliability were not proven.
• IPFS pinning reliability needs production hardening.
• Regulatory/data-governance work would be required for real health data.
• User study size was small; stronger evaluation would need structured tasks and more participants.

Role Relevance

Story Trials proves full-stack engineering range:

• modern frontend/backend architecture
• database modelling
• third-party SDK integration
• API design
• Web3 auth/transaction flows
• testing and evaluation
• honest technical trade-off analysis

It is especially useful for roles that value engineers who can build a prototype, explain the architecture, and know what would need to change before production.