Vlad Balan

Vlad Balan

Engineer, builder and founder
9 points

Forums

Vlad Balan

2mo ago

Addictive game for interview prep - launching today on PH! 🎉

Hello hunters!
LeetTrivia is a highly gamified learning tool for coding interviews. It differentiates itself by making interview prep fun and accessible, without sacrificing relevant content.
It stands apart from LeetCode, HackerRank, etc., which demand substantial time or assume a pre-existing motivation to slog through problems. LeetTrivia instead hooks users with quick rewards and competitive spirit. This means it can attract a broader base of learners, including those who might shy away from pure algorithm grinding, and keep them consistently engaged.
By occupying this white space, LeetTrivia can complement the other tools (users might play trivia daily to solidify knowledge, while using LeetCode or NeetCode for periodic coding practice), or even become a one-stop prep tool for certain segments (those early in their learning journey or very time-constrained).
Launching Today! https://www.producthunt.com/prod...

Vlad Balan

2mo ago

Hey PH! 👋

I'm Vlad.
I'm a software engineer and a builder just like you, interested in EduTech, Mental Health Tech and leveraging Gamification for self improvement.
My latest project is LeetTrivia, a trivia game that I built with the goal to be better prepared for tech interviews. It ended up being super addictive so I'm sharing it with PH today (go check it out! https://www.producthunt.com/prod... ). I soft launched it on Reddit two weaks ago and it gained immediate traction - 300 active users in 3 days and first paying customer on day 5.
I also co-founded a mindfulness and mental health app for the Romanian market called R gaz (https://ragaz.app). I initially built it for my mom, but she didn't get to see it completed. Now I'm proudly developing it in her memory. It's being used by hundreds of Romanians who are struggling with burnout, anxiety and elevated stress levels.
I would love to connect with like-minded builders to exchange ideas and support each other in our ventures!
Good luck out there!

Why LeetTrivia is different

Coding prep platforms tend to cluster toward either deep, intensive practice (LeetCode, AlgoExpert, NeetCode) or gamified coding games (Codewars, CodeSignal), with a few bridging the gap (HackerRank, Brilliant). LeetTrivia carves out a unique space largely unoccupied by others: the extreme of short-session, highly gamified learning for coding interviews. It brings the trivia/quizzing format to a domain that has traditionally been dominated by long-form coding problems or formal courses. This presents a few notable differentiators:

  • Ultra-Low Friction Engagement: Unlike coding challenges that require writing and debugging code, LeetTrivia s Q&A format lets users dip in for 2 5 minutes of practice anytime. This could foster daily habits more easily than platforms where a session demands significant time investment. It addresses the white space for quick, repeatable practice targeting conceptual knowleedge (e.g. definitions, complexities, flashcard -style facts) - something competitors lack. For instance, a user might answer 10 trivia questions in the time it takes to set up and solve one LeetCode problem.

  • Fun Competition Without Coding Anxiety: Many candidates find algorithm coding daunting or exhausting; LeetTrivia offers a fun, addictive alternative to reinforce the same knowledge areas. Codewars and CodeSignal also aim at fun, but they still require coding. LeetTrivia s trivia format lowers cognitive barriers it can be played like a game, reducing the intimidation factor while still covering DSA and system design fundamentals. This could especially attract beginners or those burned out from grinding coding problems.

  • Coverage of Interview Fundamentals and Theory: Platforms like LeetCode excel at coding drills, but they don t explicitly teach or test conceptual understanding (e.g. knowing when to use a certain data structure, understanding Big-O properties, etc.) unless the user self-reflects. LeetTrivia can fill this gap by quizzing on theory and best practices, ensuring users master the fundamentals in addition to coding ability. It occupies a niche similar to an interactive CS quiz - an area where we currently see only piecemeal solutions (for example, occasional quiz sections in courses or flashcards on Anki, but not a dedicated product with a competitive game layer).

  • Habit-Building Through Addictive Play: The combination of immediate feedback, points/leaderboards, and fast rounds gives LeetTrivia a strong habit-loop design. This is akin to Duolingo s approach in language learning, applied to coding interviews. While Brilliant and CodeSignal encourage daily usage, LeetTrivia could dominate the casual daily practice segment for interview prep by being purpose-built for engagement (the same way trivia mobile games see repeat play). In the 2x2 matrix, the very top-left corner (highly gamified and short-session) is a white space only tentatively touched by others. LeetTrivia is poised to own that corner for interview preparation content.

In summary, LeetTrivia differentiates itself by making interview prep fun and accessible, without sacrificing relevant content. It stands apart from LeetCode, HackerRank, etc., which demand substantial time or assume a pre-existing motivation to slog through problems. LeetTrivia instead hooks users with quick rewards and competitive spirit. This means it can attract a broader base of learners, including those who might shy away from pure algorithm grinding, and keep them consistently engaged. By occupying this white space, LeetTrivia can complement the other tools (users might play trivia daily to solidify knowledge, while using LeetCode or NeetCode for periodic coding practice), or even become a one-stop prep tool for certain segments (those early in their learning journey or very time-constrained).
Its focus on fun-first learning and high-frequency engagement gives it a potential edge in user retention, a metric where many edtech and prep platforms struggle.

Vlad Balan

2mo ago

LeetTrivia - Addictive game for passing tech interviews

Making interview prep fun and accessible! Other tools demand substantial time or assume a pre-existing motivation to slog through problems. LeetTrivia instead hooks users with quick rewards and competitive spirit. This means it can attract a broader base of learners, including those who might shy away from pure algorithm grinding. Its focus on fun-first learning and high-frequency engagement gives it a potential edge in user retention, a metric where many edtech and prep platforms struggle.
Nika

3mo ago

Founders: what is your favourite channel for growing your audience?

I m pretty sure most founders grow mainly on Twitter. Or LinkedIn.

But I ve realised it really depends on what kind of product you ve built.

If you re a fashion-focused founder, you probably grew up on Instagram or Pinterest.