Repitat

Smart ecosystem for bearded dragons

Designing a smart ecosystem to close the gap between what bearded dragons need and what captive care actually provides.

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The Problem

47% rise

in reptile ownership between 2020 and 2022

10–15

year lifespan impacted by chronic care gaps

Common pain points in dragon care

The information gap
Most owners are first-time reptile keepers who encounter misinformation from retailers and online sources, with no standardized guidance at the point of purchase.

Invisible failure modes
UVB bulbs degrade over time with no visible indication. Owners have no reliable way to know when their dragon has lost access to functioning UVB light — one of the most critical care requirements.

Behavioral misreading
Stress signals like glass-surfing are frequently misread as cute or playful behavior. Without education, owners cannot interpret what their animal is communicating.

Research methods

Literature review

Systematic review of scientific literature, behavioral studies, and care resources to establish environmental thresholds and identify common failure points in captive care.

40–45°C basking zone

Below 40% humidity

UVB degradation tracked

Ethnogram

Digital observation of captive bearded dragons across YouTube footage and academic recordings. Behaviors catalogued across five categories with environmental triggers noted.

Thermoregulatory

Feeding

Communicative

Locomotor

Resting

Wild vs. Captive Habitat Comparison

Wild Habitat

Typical Enclosure

SPACE

Vast open scrubland

4–8 sq ft tank

Temp

75–120°F across landscape

Manually maintained, often inadequate

UVB

Constant full-spectrum sunlight

Degrading bulb, rarely monitored

Terrain

Trees, rocks, shrubs

Minimal — mostly flat

Stimulation

Live prey, seasonal change

Scheduled feeding, static space

DEsign principles

Animal-first design
‍Every feature evaluated first by its impact on the animal's welfare, then by owner convenience, explicitly rejecting the commercial terrarium logic of ease of manufacture.

Informed ownership
Build owner knowledge, not just automated alerts. An owner who understands why their dragon needs UVB is a fundamentally better caretaker.

Gradual enrichment
Environmental complexity introduced over time. Providing a better environment isn't effective if the animal has no experience of what to do with it.

Separable lighting topSelf-contained unit that lifts away for safe, easy bulb replacement. Eliminates fire risk from fixed hoods. UVB position is adjustable.

Sliding front doorReduces stress from above-approach interactions associated with aerial predators. Easier front-access cleaning reduces deferred maintenance.

Movable air tubeAir-driven tube repositioned across the tank to create water surface movement, encouraging naturalistic drinking behavior and sensory stimulation.

Cord organizersIntegrated rear-mounted cord management removes cable clutter, reduces safety risks, and makes maintenance easier without additional products.

Smart tank features

Digital interface

Dragon profileStores age, origin, weight, medical history, and vet notes. Addresses the absence of standardized record-keeping across a 10–15 year lifespan.

Monitoring dashboardReplicates side panel readings with historical trend data. A basking zone that consistently drops at night becomes visible as a pattern — not just a single bad reading.

Education sectionCurated, research-grounded guidance on diet, behavior interpretation, and enclosure maintenance. Aimed at reducing the steep learning curve for first-time reptile owners.

Takeaways

A bearded dragon cannot tell its owner that the UVB bulb has failed, that the basking zone is too cool, or that the glass-surfing every evening is a sign of chronic stress.

Repitat is built to fill that translation gap.

What the Project Became Through research and modeling, the project addressed how, when it comes to animal products, animal-first design theory can improve the quality of experiences for both animal and owner alike.

reflection

Repitat was an opportunity to explore user experience research and design for a unique and underconsidered user group: animals. This experience allowed me to reconsider what is standard design and how designing for authenticity and empowerment can lead to innovative design systems.