UX Case Study: Cashew, My Pet Tortoise

I applied the UX process to my pet tortoise and her life is great.

Fulfilling the tortoise life

In May 2018, my girlfriend brought home a Sulcata tortoise named Cashew. We worked hard to provide Cashew a comfortable reptile tank that she would call home for many years. By mid-2019, Cashew’s home was hardly large enough at all, and her life became meaningless.

I was a part of an aspiring project to redesign the user experience of Cashew, my pet tortoise.

The problem:

Growing way too fast

In just 14 months since we adopted her, Cashew had grown over 10x in size.

Her tank, which was perfect 14 months ago, struggled to scale alongside her massive growth. The basic usability of her home was compromised. She could no longer turn around without colliding into the wall. She frequently got stuck in her log. It only took her five steps to walk the length of the tank.

Her life slowly lost meaning.