Hi Codeforces.
I've been working on an idea for a platform aimed primarily at beginners who want to get into competitive programming, but also at more experienced programmers who want to strengthen their fundamentals and fill gaps in their knowledge.
The goal is to create a structured learning environment that takes someone from the absolute basics to more advanced concepts, with an emphasis on actually understanding algorithms, data structures, and problem-solving techniques rather than simply memorising solutions.
A few things I'm considering:
- A substantial free tier: Most of the core learning experience would be freely accessible, so beginners can get genuine value without having to pay.
- Two optional paid tiers: For those who want additional resources, features, and a more comprehensive learning experience.
- Structured learning: Helping beginners build strong foundations, while also giving more experienced users an opportunity to revisit and refine theirs.
I'm currently in the process of developing this, and before getting too far into it, I'd genuinely like to hear what the Codeforces community thinks.
I've also put together a short anonymous survey to collect feedback on the concept. Please keep in mind that it has a total of two required questions, so I would appreciate it if you could take the time to fill it in, as it will serve as a proof of concept.
A few things I'd particularly like to know:
- Would you actually be interested in using something like this?
- What do you think existing competitive programming learning resources are missing?
- What would you consider essential features for a platform like this?
- Would you be comfortable with a freemium model, provided the free tier is genuinely substantial?
I'm particularly interested in hearing from both beginners and experienced competitive programmers.
Feel free to share your honest opinions, criticisms, suggestions, or even ideas that you think would make the platform better. I'd really appreciate the feedback!
I would find it extremely difficult to justify a paid tier unless you had an entire legion of lgms dedicating their lives to this and even then there is only so much they could do. Usaco guide and many other sources are already free and there are more problems on cf than any person can reasonably do (except maspy but let's ignore him now). I'm pretty sure that if someone goes through and learns all the usaco guide content and does problems they will eventually reach close to their human cap in abilities.
I agree with you that question banks are honestly oversaturated, especially considering how many excellent free resources already exist. I don't think simply providing another collection of problems or tutorials would justify a paid tier either.
However, I think there's more to learning than having access to problems and content. Things like structured and personalised learning paths, identifying gaps in someone's understanding, developing key concepts progressively, and helping people understand why certain approaches work are all important aspects that I think could be improved upon.
I also agree that existing resources like the USACO Guide are incredibly comprehensive, and that's something any new platform would have to justify itself against. I'm still figuring out exactly where the value would lie, which is partly why I'm looking for feedback at this stage.
Just make sure you add dark mode (looking at you codeforces).
ngl, my veiws exactly. Dark mode is more useful than it would seem...
If you are interested, please fill in the google form so that I can understand whether this is something I should pursue. And if you like the idea, but are scheptical about certain aspects, fill in the form so I can understand those too.
Thank You.