VAIDAS
BOLIAKU
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01 / Graduation project

Panini

Gamified Lithuanian language learning

Panini was my graduation project exploring how game mechanics, progression and Lithuanian mythology could make language-learning exercises more engaging for children.

Game DesignGamificationMobile UXLearning Experience
Panini splash screen
Panini language challenge
LEARNING MODELPlay creates a reason to practise.Short challenges, immediate feedback and visible rewards turn each interaction into a repeatable learning cycle.
2021
Graduation project
Duration
6 months
Scope
Product Design · UX/UI
Game Design · Prototyping

02 / The learning loop

Learning through short, repeatable challenges.

Different exercise types used immediate feedback and visible progression. The interaction stayed simple: understand the prompt, make a choice, learn from the result and continue.

  1. 01Challenge
  2. 02Feedback
  3. 03XP
  4. 04Progression
  5. 05Next challenge
EXERCISE TYPE

Connect words with objects

Visual recognition helps children connect a new Lithuanian word with something they already understand.

Original Panini mobile screen: Connect words with objects

03 / Progression & rewards

Making progress visible.

XP, health, currency, upgrades and achievements turned repeated practice into a longer-term sense of progress without replacing the learning task itself.

GAME SYSTEM

Spend what you earn

Coins connect practice with useful items and cosmetic rewards.

Original Panini mobile screen: Store

04 / Mythology & characters

Learning inside a Lithuanian world.

The game draws from Lithuanian mythology to make language learning part of a wider cultural discovery. Characters such as Perkūnas introduce children to local stories, symbols and ideas while guiding them through the experience.

Original Panini Perkūnas character screen
PERKŪNAS · THUNDER GOD

Culture became part of the learning journey.

Instead of treating Lithuanian as vocabulary alone, Panini placed it inside a recognisably Lithuanian world. Mythological characters provided context, personality and a memorable way to encounter the country’s cultural heritage.

05 / From concept to prototype

Where product design met game design.

  1. 01Learning concept
  2. 02Core game loop
  3. 03Visual identity
  4. 04Challenges
  5. 05Progression
  6. 06Hi-fi prototype

Panini taught me to think about products as systems of motivation, feedback and progression — not just collections of screens.

That systems mindset later became useful when designing more complex SaaS products, even though the products themselves were very different.