Tortoise wanted to turn its rehabilitation concept into an accessible digital product that people could use throughout their recovery. The platform needed to create an engaging experience for patients while giving therapists greater visibility outside normal clinic interactions. The challenge wasn't simply to build software. It was to translate an evolving business idea into a practical product that could be launched quickly, tested with users and expanded as the commercial model developed.

We worked with Tortoise to develop a digital platform that supports users throughout their recovery journey while enabling greater collaboration with therapists.

The initial platform introduced a structured daily engagement process, combining goal setting, wellbeing check-ins, therapist oversight and Garmin integration to help users monitor their progress. A comprehensive content hub and community space provided access to practical guidance, recovery resources and peer support, while automated notifications encouraged ongoing engagement. The solution was delivered as a mobile-friendly Progressive Web App (PWA), allowing users to access it as conveniently as a native app.

As the platform matured, Decodifi delivered a second phase focused on commercial scalability. This introduced enhanced subscription and billing capabilities, enabling clinics to manage their own customer payments while supporting Tortoise's platform-fee model. The result was a scalable solution capable of serving both individual users and clinical organisations through a single platform.

Stage 1: Bringing the idea to life

Decodifi worked with Tortoise to translate the initial concept into a practical digital product. The platform introduced goal setting, daily check-ins, therapist visibility and Garmin integration for activity monitoring. Users were also given access to recovery content and community features, with notifications encouraging regular engagement.

Stage 2: Supporting commercial growth

As Tortoise's requirements evolved, the platform was expanded to better support rehabilitation clinics. Payment and subscription capabilities were enhanced so clinics could manage customer payments, while supporting Tortoise's platform-fee model.

The Tortoise app delivers a dual-value proposition: providing patients with structure and community during isolated recoveries, while offering therapists vital out-of-clinic visibility. The expansion of our B2B capabilities in V2 unlocked significant operational scale. By automating split payments and giving clinics control over their billing, Tortoise lowered technical barriers for clinic onboarding, solidifying itself as an easily adoptable, scalable infrastructure for modern physical rehabilitation.

Our Involvement

Decodifi acted as a strategic technology partner throughout the journey, supporting Tortoise from initial requirements capture and solution design through to development, testing, deployment, ongoing support and continuous platform enhancement.

Rather than operating as a remote development resource, we worked closely with the Tortoise team to shape the product vision, challenge ideas, prioritise investment an ensure the platform evolved in line with user and business needs. This collaborative approach enabled Tortoise to bring a robust MVP to market quickly, while establishing a scalable foundation for growth.

What we delivered‍

‍Personalised rehabilitation experience
‍Goal setting, daily check-ins and progress tracking.

‍Therapist visibility
‍Tools enabling therapists to monitor and support their patients' rehabilitation journey.

‍Knowledge and community
‍A structured knowledge base, recovery content and community features.

‍Content management
‍Functionality allowing authorised Tortoise users to manage articles and forms without relying on developers.

‍Automated communications
‍Notifications designed to keep users engaged and informed.

‍Integrated payments
‍Subscription and payment functionality supporting both individual customers and clinics.

‍Third-party integrations
‍Integration with Garmin to incorporate activity information into the rehabilitation experience.

‍Mobile-friendly access
‍A Progressive Web App designed to make the service convenient to access from a mobile device.