Reading

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GraphoGame

GraphoGame is a research-based literacy learning game designed to help children master reading through a proven phonics approach.

Overview

Last updated on:November 10, 2024
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Mesh
Grade
Early Childhood Education
+3
Connectivity
Full offline functionality
Technologies
Smartphone, Tablet
Support
Email, Live Chat
Customisation
Course Content
Active users
600k
150

Countries

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1.00USD/user/year

Base Price

14

Languages

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Evidence

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Safety First

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Privacy

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    Privacy PolicyOpen info in a new page
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    Terms of ServiceOpen info in a new page
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    Product alerts users of significant changes to the privacy policy
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Data Sharing

  • Product does not share data with third parties icon
    Product does not share data with third parties
  • Product does not show external advertisements. icon
    Product does not show external advertisements.
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Data Origin

  • Product utilizes AI icon
    Product utilizes AI
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  • AI has been trained using product datasets icon
    AI has been trained using product datasets
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Impact on learning

Theory

Developed in 1992 by Prof. Heikki Lyytinen, the GraphoGame methodology originated as a dyslexia screening tool. It evolved into a global project involving 30 universities, with over 300 publications and 20 PhDs. Key collaborators include the University of Cambridge, Yale's Haskins Laboratories, and Beijing Normal University. The GraphoGame Research Steering Committee includes experts like Prof. Usha Goswami (Cambridge) and Prof. Elena Grigorenko (Yale).

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Impact Level 3/3
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    Data shows a positive change towards learning outcomes.

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    There is causality between this product and a positive impact on improved learning outcomes (e.g., a control or comparison group).

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    There are one or more independent evaluations that confirm these conclusions.

Evidence
External Evidence
Randomized Control Trials

Both GraphoGame Rime and Phoneme improved reading, spelling, and phonological skills in 6–7-year-olds with reading difficulties. Gains were greater than in the control group and sustained after four months.

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External Evidence
Randomized Control Trials

An RCT of GraphoGame Rime, targeting low-literacy Year 2 students, showed no significant impact on reading or spelling compared to standard support. Teachers found the tool engaging for implementation, but additional progress was not observed.

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External Evidence
Randomized Control Trials

Analysis of GraphoGame Rime RCT data for higher-performing 6–7-year-olds (95 children) showed positive effects for subgroups, including those with Individual Education Plans and younger children, showing targeted benefits in English phonics learning.

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Engagement
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Recommended use

Early Childhood Education
+3

Recommended use for optimal results is 3 times a week up to 15 minutes a session. Students can play simultaneously in a classroom or multiple children can share a device, as each account is personalised. No adult or teacher supervision required. The app is effective without an adult in the room.

Recommended use for optimal results is 3 times a week up to 15 minutes a session. Students can play simultaneously in a classroom or multiple children can share a device, as each account is personalised. No adult or teacher supervision required. The app is effective without an adult in the room.

School administrators, Students, Teachers

Target audience

75%
User growth rate
600k
Monthly Active Users
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150
Countries
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Designed For Children

Learning Objectives

What is the learning objective of GraphoGame?

GraphoGame teaches kindergarten, primary and early secondary -aged students the fundamentals of literacy using an evidence-based phonetic approach.

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Curriculum

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    Adaptable to different curriculums

Information about curriculum

GraphoGame’s curriculum is based on a phonics-first approach, teaching foundational skills like letter-sound recognition and word decoding, and is adapted for each language in collaboration with researchers (e.g., Cambridge for UK English, Yale for US English). The game’s adaptive design lets children progress individually, introducing complex phonics as they advance. Data insights help teachers track progress and make informed interventions, and each version aligns with national literacy standards for effective literacy development.

Pedagogical design

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Overview
GraphoGame combines educational theories with cognitive neuroscience to enhance literacy through explicit phonics instruction. Each language version is developed with top research institutions, ensuring alignment with phonological features. The program includes real-time analytics for monitoring student progress and timely interventions. Supported by over 300 peer-reviewed studies, GraphoGame features a gamified interface that adapts to each child’s learning pace, making literacy learning engaging and accessible.
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Additional Details
Flexibility
The product allows learner agency (e.g. it provides flexibility for the learner or teacher to make choices, take actions, or influence their learning outcomes and experiences).
The product supports adaptive personalized learning, including tailoring instruction and content with feedback to the unique needs, preferences, and goals of each learner
Learner engagement
The product has elements that raises the level of affection in learner (e.g. pedagogically meaningful narrative, characters, etc.).
The product has interactive design where a learner can interact with the content via different actions, like for example solving problems.
Creativity
The product includes problem-solving activities

User Experience

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User interface
GraphoGame is designed to be used by students who cannot read and without adult support. The interface is designed to allow for a student to create an avatar and begin learning with GraphoGame without needing to read. We use large intuitive arrows and icon highlighting to urge users to press the correct buttons without needing to write or read. The game itself is full of instructional sound files where a voice actor explains the cognitive aspects of the learning activity (i.e. “Choose the syllable that rhymes with the sound you hear”). We have improved our user interface in the past by reducing the amount of actions users need to take to enter learning content. We also added a tutorial mode to help users understand the user interface elements.
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Data-driven product development
Using the interaction data logs that GraphoGame produces we are able to see which content types and in-game levels tend to cause the most issues or are passed with no errors. This interaction data has allowed us to see which levels are too difficult or too challenging for most students. Using these insights we engage our partner researchers who we optimize the content with to be motivating, yet appropriately challenging.
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Geographic focus
The content of each language version of GraphoGame has been developed, curated and researched by universities and researchers in multiple regions. For example, the Spanish version of GraphoGame has been researched in Araucania, Chile, as well as Peru. The French GraphoGame has been researched in schools in Provence. The UK English version has been researched in Randomized Controlled Trials in Cambridgeshire and Ahmadabad, India. We seek to research the effectiveness of our multiple apps in the contexts they will be used in.
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Ensuring content quality
Expert Review: Content is reviewed by subject matter experts.
Educational Standards Alignment: Content aligns with educational standards.
User Feedback Incorporation: Regular updates are informed by user feedback.
Evidence-Based Content: Content creation is based on current educational research.
Quality Assurance Processes: Implementation of rigorous quality control measures.
Editorial Oversight: Editorial teams oversee content development and accuracy.
Licensing and Accreditation: Use of licensed and accredited content sources.
Language Accuracy: Content undergoes professional linguistic and grammar checks.
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Supervision and communications
This product requires supervision or specific skills
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This product is primarily designed for classroom setting
The product includes communications capabilities.
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Ready to Reach All

Infrastructure

  • Device compatibility
    Smartphone, Tablet, Desktop/Laptop, Chromebooks
  • Designed for low-cost devices
    Yes
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  • Environment
    Web-Based (Accessible via a web browser without requiring installation on a device), Device Installable (Requires installation on a device to be used, i.e. a mobile or desktop app)
  • Offline availability
    Full offline functionality
  • Integration with 3rd party
    Education/Learning Data tools, Single Sign-On or other secure login tools, User data/metrics platforms, LMS platforms

Support

  • Training materials
    Video tutorials, User manuals, Interactive guides, Webinars, Online courses, Live training
  • Training material languages
    English, Finnish, French, Greenlandic, Icelandic, NorwegianPortuguese, Spanish, Swedish, ,
  • Training material target users
    Educators and teachers, Students, Institutional or administrative staff, Parents or guardians
  • Technical support

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    Email Support

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    Live Chat Support

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    Phone/Call Support

Local Adaptability

  • Curriculum / educational content can be customized
    Yes
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  • Visual / audiovisual content can be customized
    Yes
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  • Content can be customized
    Yes
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  • Current languages
    Chinese Traditional, Cinyanja, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Greenlandic, Icelandic, Indonesian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish
  • Possibility to translate the product to new language
    Yes
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  • Current writing systems
    Chinese, Latin Alphabet
  • Licensing information
    • The solution is proprietary

Data import/export

  • Export data capability
    CSV, JSON, API
  • Exportable data types
    Product usage data, User performance and progress, Assessment results, Usage statistics
  • Import data capability
    User data, Educational content
  • Automation
    Individual upload/onboarding, Classroom or school level upload by administrator, Large-scale upload at a ministry/institutional level
Affordability

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Business model
Business-to-Consumer
Business-to-Government
Business-to-Business
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Pricing model
Freemium/Premium
One-time payment
Subscription
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Pricing tiers
District based pricing
National pricing
Per student pricing
School based pricing
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1 USD/year

Starting price

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    Flexible pricing available
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Pricing Strategy

We have three pricing strategies that are aligned with the markets and regions we work in. Freemium is offered is more challenging economic contexts, where paying for the app or purchasing a subscription is highly unlikely and thus accessibility to literacy content is affected. One-time payments are used for individual GraphoGame app licenses in countries such as Canada, United Kingdom and Finland. Subscriptions are offered to schools and municipalities who want to purchase the GraphoGame app with a server connection and our online teacher analytics platform.

Organisation and Operations

Organization Details

DEVELOPED IN
Finland
Type of organization
Business enterprise
Stage of organization
Growth Phase
(since 2018)
Number of employees
5-10
FINANCIALS
Dealroom,
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DEVELOPED IN
Finland
Type of organization
Business enterprise
Stage of organization
Growth Phase
(since 2018)
Number of employees
5-10
FINANCIALS
Dealroom,
Open information icon
DEVELOPED IN
Finland
Type of organization
Business enterprise
Stage of organization
Growth Phase
(since 2018)
Number of employees
5-10
FINANCIALS
Dealroom,
Open information icon
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Experience with large projects

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    Nationwide government projects
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    Regional or state government projects
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    Local government projects
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    Partnership models with national institutions
Case Study Link
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Large implementation example

We launched GraphoGame Iceland in September 2024. In 24 hours, it became the most downloaded app in the country. In 6 weeks, GraphoGame has been downloaded by over 15% of the entire population of Iceland. In Finland, we launched GraphoGame English when English language studies started for all first graders. In only 3 weeks, all of them had started to use GraphoGame. Our market penetration in Norway is about 75% of children who are learning to read. The Analytics Dashboard is gaining popularity in the City of Oslo, which started using it for 3,000 students in September 2024 as our first customer. Expansion steps are being planned and other municipalities have indicated strong interest to deploy as well. In Brazil, the Ministry of Education started a TV campaign to encourage families to download GraphoGame Portuguese. As a result of the campaign, over 2,5 million users downloaded the free version of GraphoGame.

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Leave No One Behind

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Accessibility of Design

Users with disability have been taken into account in the design of the product.
Success iconGraphoGame fulfils the WCAG 2.1 level AA requirements
Tool tested with:
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Equity of access & Gender

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Product usage between genders
We have noted in several research projects in the Global West, where boy literacy is falling, that GraphoGame is exceptionally effective with boys who have not attained reading skills by 1st grade. This is likely due to gamification and game-based learning.
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Catering to the needs of marginalized or disadvantaged child groups
The app's adaptive game design ensures all users are exposed to content they are comfortable with. This ensures that marginalized students do not get demotivated or embarrassed by their level of progress compared to other students. Furthermore, GraphoGame has been designed for students coming from immigrant or non-native speaking backgrounds. For example, we research the effectiveness of our English GraphoGame with students with no background in English at all. The game also originates from neuropsychology research that focused on making the game effective with neurodivergences, namely dyslexia and autism.
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Principles of inclusion and equity
GraphoGame employs adaptive learning technology that adjusts to the user's skill level, ensuring that each child receives personalized learning experiences. This feature helps in catering to diverse learning needs and paces, making it accessible to children with varying literacy skills. The game is designed following the principles of Universal Design for Learning, ensuring that it is accessible to all children, including those with learning disabilities. By providing multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression, GraphoGame supports a wide range of learners. GraphoGame offers support in multiple languages, allowing children from different linguistic backgrounds to access the game in their native language. This linguistic inclusivity helps in promoting equity in learning opportunities for children worldwide. The content in GraphoGame is designed to be culturally relevant and sensitive, ensuring that it resonates with children from diverse cultural backgrounds. This approach helps in creating an inclusive learning environment where all children feel represented and valued. GraphoGame incorporates various accessibility features such as audio support, visual aids, and user-friendly interfaces to assist children with visual or auditory impairments. These features ensure that the game is inclusive of children with different types of disabilities. The game is developed with a commitment to non-discriminatory practices, ensuring that no child is excluded based on race, gender, socio-economic status, or any other characteristic. GraphoGame aims to provide equal learning opportunities for all children. GraphoGame continuously gathers feedback from users and educators to improve its inclusivity and equity features. This iterative process helps in addressing the evolving needs of diverse learners and making the game more effective and inclusive over time. By adhering to these principles, GraphoGame ensures that it provides an inclusive and equitable learning experience for all children, helping them to develop their literacy skills in a supportive and adaptive environment.
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This product promotes AI equity
GraphoGame utilises AI to create personalised learning paths for each user based on their individual progress and performance. This approach ensures that every child, regardless of their starting point, receives a customised educational experience tailored to their unique needs and abilities. The AI algorithms in GraphoGame are designed and regularly reviewed to minimise bias. This includes ensuring that the data used to train the AI is diverse and representative of all user demographics. By actively working to reduce biases, GraphoGame promotes fairness and equity in the learning process. The AI in GraphoGame continuously monitors and adapts the difficulty level of the game in real-time. This ensures that all children, including those with learning disabilities or those who may struggle with traditional learning methods, are provided with an equitable learning experience that matches their pace and comprehension. GraphoGame incorporates feedback loops where users and educators can provide insights and feedback on their experience with the AI. This feedback is used to refine and improve the AI algorithms, ensuring they remain fair, effective, and inclusive over time. The development and deployment of AI in GraphoGame are conducted with a high level of transparency. Users and educators are informed about how AI is used within the game, and there are mechanisms in place to hold the developers accountable for the AI's performance and fairness. GraphoGame is committed to ongoing research and development to enhance AI equity. This includes collaborating with experts in AI ethics, inclusivity, and educational technology to continuously improve the AI's fairness and effectiveness.
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Get in touch with the organization

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Mervi Palander, CEO

Contact the company get more information on pricing, schedule a demo or if you any other inquiry.