The client needed to convert a basic MVP into a scalable, engaging app that could actively support early language development for preschoolers.
Redesigned the app with real-time voice detection, engaging animations, and classroom-ready features, delivering three major versions across development phases.
The app demonstrated measurable improvements in classroom engagement and communication skills, earning validation through live trials with educators and parents.
Tintash delivered the beta version of the mobile game, which received overwhelmingly positive responses from teachers, parents, and clinicians. They were highly professional and very willing to adjust to any request made.
They managed the development and art team, sourced needed personnel, and provided an excellent project manager who patiently walked everyone through each step to completion.
Emily Cadiz
CEO, Finnegan The Dragon
Emily Cadiz, an accomplished musician, educator, and inclusive music specialist, believed children could meet their full potential when provided with the right set of tools and resources. Her mission was to create music and products that encourage emerging communication skills and support brain development during the critical early years of learning.
She created Finnegan the Dragon with this mission in mind, leveraging her experience teaching music and working with children to develop a distinctive character and one-of-a-kind learning game. The storybook was part of a curriculum Emily had designed for schools to support natural language development and literacy for children aged two to six. She was now supplementing this storybook with an interactive music app to engage children verbally through a screen.
When the client approached Tintash, they had a basic MVP of Finnegan The Dragon - an interactive music app where the dragon sang poems and encouraged children to sing along. The MVP included three working poems with two modes: a "listen" mode (where the dragon performed the poem) and a "learn" mode (where children repeated sentences). While the MVP conveyed the concept to investors, it lacked the polish and interactivity needed for classroom use.
The client needed a complete overhaul of the app's design and functionality, with a focus on enhancing the user experience and introducing real-time voice detection. Tintash redesigned the app's interface and implemented a key feature: real-time feedback based on voice input. Using a lyric-spotting sheet and a custom volume analyzer, we created a low-latency play mode where children could sing missing words in a poem and receive immediate, engaging feedback.
Beyond voice recognition, Tintash delivered a broad set of improvements to enhance engagement, usability, and scalability:
- Added 28 new poems with original artwork and animations.
- Designed custom backgrounds for each poem (e.g., a starry night for Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star).
- Introduced animations and particle effects to enrich scenes like the map screen.
- Integrated a dragon character that flew across the map to reinforce narrative continuity.
- Built a split-screen "sing along" mode with front camera support, allowing children to see themselves perform.
- Developed a classroom feature where children could unlock and display digital rewards and toys.
- Implemented a day/night cycle to help regulate a child's screen time.
- Tracked word counts across poems and generated progress reports for teachers and parents.
- Created an onboarding experience informed by direct feedback from educators and parents.
- Enabled remote downloading of poem content to keep the app lightweight.
- Integrated the app with a custom backend for authentication, analytics, and future scalability.
Tintash also provided end-to-end support throughout the engagement, including game design, UI/UX, animation, quality assurance, and project management. Our team played a key role in shaping the app's direction and ensuring it delivered on the client's vision for a classroom-ready, research-grade learning experience.
Finnegan The Dragon is now a comprehensive learning tool that uses technology to promote active engagement.
The app encourages children to lean forward, make noise, and interact with the content in ways that stimulate brain development. Its musical experience supports language growth by engaging motor control, spatial awareness, and memory recall.
Since our initial engagement in September 2022, Tintash has partnered with the client across three major phases of development, delivering multiple successful releases.
These versions were tested in classrooms with parents, clinicians, and children—demonstrating measurable improvements in both engagement and communication skills.
In 2024, the client was awarded the SBIR/STTR Phase 1 Grant in recognition of Finnegan's innovation and impact.
As part of this grant, Tintash helped deliver a robust, research-ready version of the app, used in trials with Oregon Head Start—a public organization serving over 1.6 million people.
