Has potential
Firstly, I'll will say I find it suspicious that there's only one review, without a comment. I do like the privacy policy though, I like privacy.
This app is different than what I first thought it was for. It's not meant for learning syntax and concepts like variables and functions, but instead it's meant as practice for what you've already learned and to (maybe) challenge you to think. I'll still use it to learn Go.
With that in mind, I find the first few questions a bit weird, as someone just learning how to code might not know about return values or functions, yet the first question seemed to assume you knew what they were. It'd probably be better practicing writing a variable.
The GUI reminds me of Duolingo somewhat, its questions were similar, same with the leaderboard and streak features and a few other things. Albeit these are general gamification features, and I still don't like slow chest opening animations. I dislike the entire gamification concept actually, but that's just my opinion. I've seen how effective it can be, especially on social medias.
The GUI is a bit slow, buttons take like 4-5 seconds to do anything. The GUI can be slightly confusing, I was on a question clicking submit and ended up in some spot I wasn't familiar with. It also took me a few seconds to find the code tab.
And I do not like that you need to use an external service (e.g., iPhone account, Gmail, etc) to use the app.
Now, it does ask you to use its premium feature every so often which isn't awful. It's capitalism. What does annoy me is how it pesters you to enable notifications (if not enabled).
Sadly, I haven't used it for long so I can't attest to the quality of the questions.
Overall, it's not meant to teach you new things but instead to challenge you as you learn elsewhere. I've not tested how well it suceeds at that though. The GUI is nice but a bit slow, and takes advantage of gamification. And there is a bit to be desired.
Response from developer
Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed review! You're correct that CodenQuest is designed to reinforce and challenge your existing programming knowledge rather than teach foundational syntax and concepts. I’ll try your suggestion to incorporate simpler exercises for new programmers. For the app slowness, the last update should have improved the GUI response. Regarding the requirement to use an external service to sign up, I am exploring ways to simplify the login process. I also recognize that not everyone appreciates frequent notifications or prompts for premium features, and I am committed to finding a better balance. Thank you again for your insights. I am continually working on improvements, and your feedback helps a lot. Please feel free to reach out with any more suggestions or questions as you continue using the app. Best regards, Cyril, Founder of CodenQuest
