Mr. Turtle

Redesigning a simpler path toward reducing single-use plastics

Consumer Goods / Sustainability

January - March 2025 2 (8 Weeks)

Role

Designer

Outcomes

Fully implemented kiosk interface and website

Tools

Figma, Notion, Photoshop, FigJam

Focus Areas

UX/UI Design, User Research, User Testing

Mr. Turtle is a sustainability-focused startup that provides refill stations for household products like hand soap, dish soap, and laundry detergent, helping people cut down on single-use plastics. Their stations are already operating in five locations, including the SLO Food Co-op, Swish and Swirl laundromat, and Cal Poly’s Poly Canyon Village Market, with recent expansion into Oregon. Since launch, the team has invested over $10,000 into their ‘Trifecta’ kiosk and eliminated hundreds of single-use plastic bottles, making refills a more accessible and impactful everyday choice.

What's the problem?

An Experience That Didn’t Feel Accessible

Mr. Turtle’s kiosk was built to make sustainable refilling simple, but its current interface fails to support that goal. Users don't immediately understand what the kiosk does or how to start. Without clear guidance or accessible design, many feel confused or hesitant, especially those new to self-service machines.

They reached out to Cal Poly Iter8 to refresh the overall experience, from the kiosks to the website. The goal was to make the process feel clearer, friendlier, and more in line with their mission, helping users feel confident and supported as they refill.

How can we better understand this problem?

User Interviews

Since this was our first time designing for a public-facing kiosk, we started with user interviews to learn what people expect and value in self-service experiences. We talked to participants aged 12 to 50 about their habits, frustrations, and what makes a kiosk feel smooth or confusing. These conversations gave us valuable qualitative data about user expectations and behaviors in public settings.

“Can you recall a time when using a self-service machine felt especially smooth or satisfying? What made it work well for you?”

“When you approach a self-service machine for the first time, what do you usually look for or expect to see right away?"

“What kinds of features or details make a self-service experience feel more enjoyable or worth coming back to?”

“Have you ever felt frustrated while using a self-service machine? What happened, and what do you think could have made it better?”

How do people interact with the current kiosk?

Think-aloud usability studies

To build on the interviews, we conducted think-aloud studies where participants completed tasks on the kiosk while verbalizing their thoughts. This helped us observe not only their actions but also their reasoning in real time. We asked participants to walk through the refill process, from selecting a product to checking out, and share what felt clear, confusing, or surprising. These sessions highlighted both successful moments and pain points in the flow.

Old Kiosk Flow

5 Key Insights

Lack of context at the start

Users didn’t immediately understand what the kiosk did. There was no clear introduction, label, or welcoming guidance.

Unclear steps and navigation

Key actions like starting a refill or printing a label felt hidden or confusing. Users weren't sure what to do next.

No accessibility support

The interface had no options for language selection, no icons or visual aids, and no built-in help or instructions.

Oversized and unrefined visual design

The UI felt clunky, with large buttons, oversized text, and a logo that overpowered the screen.

Lack of user trust or confidence

Without clear feedback or visual cues, users hesitated or second-guessed their actions, especially when interacting with physical components like bottles or printers.

How might we design a refill experience that is simple, intuitive, and inviting enough for anyone to use with confidence?

Fixing the flow that frustrated users

User Journey Mapping

We knew that the user journey would make or break the kiosk experience. From our research, it was clear that users quickly became confused or disinterested if the steps weren’t obvious.

Working closely with stakeholders and drawing from our user data, we iterated through multiple flows to shape one that felt both efficient and easy to follow. Two moments stood out as critical:

  1. Guiding users through the physical act of placing and refilling their container

  1. Providing reassurance through the payment and label-printing process

These became key focus points in building a journey that supported first-time users and made the process feel approachable and intentional.

How can we visualize the kiosk screens?

Lo-Fi Screens

After sketching ideas and running quick Crazy 8’s, we started building out rough wireframes to map out the flow and test how each screen connected. For key moments in the experience, like the welcome screen, we made several versions to compare reactions and see what users responded to. This process helped us make clearer decisions before polishing the visuals.

How can we bring the new design system to life?

Designing a joyful experience

We revisited the visual direction to make the experience feel friendly and easy to understand. Mr. Turtle had a design system, but the team wanted something fresher and more unified. We updated the color palette, typography, and iconography to create a consistent look across the kiosk and website. The final direction feels simple, playful, and accessible for users.

How did users respond to the mid-fidelity designs?

Mid-Fidelity User Testing

We conducted 12 user tests, using both 5-Second Tests and Think-Aloud Studies to evaluate first impressions, clarity, and usability. Participants interacted with mid-fidelity kiosk screens that guided them through product selection, payment, and refilling.

While users responded positively to the kiosk’s friendly tone and clean aesthetic, their feedback revealed key opportunities to improve hierarchy, instruction clarity, and feedback, leading to several design pivots.


Simplified Text and Hierarchy

Users felt the screens, especially the welcome page, had too much text. We shortened the copy, improved spacing, and highlighted the main action on each screen to make information easier to scan.

Stronger Interaction Feedback

While users liked the clean visuals, they wanted clearer confirmation after each step. We added progress indicators, glow effects, and disabled inactive buttons to make the flow feel smoother and more guided.

Clearer Product Information

Popups showing detergent ingredients were confusing and easy to miss. We redesigned them to appear more intentional, added short descriptions under each product, and made icons easier to tap and close.

Final Prototype

After several iterations and consistent feedback from users, the final design focuses on clarity and ease of use. We brought the playful personality of the brand into the interface while keeping all essential actions simple and intuitive. This version represents our strongest balance between fun visuals and functionality.

What I learned

User Journey Mapping

We knew that the user journey would make or break the kiosk experience. From our research, it was clear that users quickly became confused or disinterested if the steps weren’t obvious.

Working closely with stakeholders and drawing from our user data, we iterated through multiple flows to shape one that felt both efficient and easy to follow. Two moments stood out as critical: