Brilliant Review | It's at least adequate

Summary

In this video, the Afro Hamurai discusses the educational platform Brilliant, which offers courses in math, computer science, and general science. He shares his experience using Brilliant to learn statistics and praises its user-friendly interface across various devices. However, he points out limitations in Brilliant's computer science offerings and issues with the mobile app's coding experience. The video compares Brilliant with Codecademy, suggesting Brilliant is great for quick learning bursts in math and science but less ideal for in-depth computer science studies.

Takeaways

• 🎶 The speaker, Afro Hamurai, is a music producer who is taking a break from music to discuss Brilliant.
• 📚 Brilliant is an educational platform offering courses in math, computer science, and general science.
• 📈 The platform is particularly strong in math, with a wide range of math-related courses, including statistics, logic, algebra, and geometry.
• 💻 There is a limited number of computer science courses available, and the speaker feels they are not as comprehensive as the math offerings.
• 📱 Brilliant is accessible on various platforms, including computers, tablets, and phones, with both web browser access and dedicated apps.
• 💷 The platform offers a free trial, a premium subscription costing around £100/year in the UK, and a lifetime subscription option.
• 🔒 The free version of Brilliant provides a limited preview of the content, while the premium version unlocks full access to all courses.
• 📈 The structure of the courses is designed to be quick and digestible, with lessons typically taking around 10 minutes to complete.
• 🏆 Brilliant includes features like streaks and leagues to encourage user engagement and a sense of competition.
• 📉 The mobile experience for computer science courses is not as smooth as on a computer, with issues like text selection and editing being problematic.
• 🤔 The speaker suggests that Brilliant is best for learning math and science, but for those specifically interested in coding, other platforms like Codecademy or LeetCode might be more suitable.
• 🌟 Despite some shortcomings, the speaker finds Brilliant rewarding and plans to continue using it, with the possibility of revisiting the platform if its offerings expand.

Q & A

Who is the speaker in the video script?

The speaker in the video script is the Afro Hamurai.

What is Brilliant and what does it offer?

Brilliant is a platform where users can sign up and access courses in math, computer science, and general science. It includes topics like physics, logic, algebra, geometry, and statistics.

What is the speaker's primary reason for using Brilliant?

The speaker primarily uses Brilliant to improve their understanding of statistics, which they admit they are not very good at.

How does Brilliant compare to Codecademy in terms of course offerings?

Brilliant focuses more on math and has fewer computer science offerings compared to Codecademy. Brilliant's premium access provides full content access, while Codecademy offers some free foundational courses.

What is the pricing structure for Brilliant's premium subscription?

Brilliant offers a premium subscription for about £100 per year in the UK, which is roughly equivalent to $140 per year in the US. There is also an option for a lifetime subscription.

How does the speaker describe the learning experience on Brilliant?

The speaker describes the learning experience on Brilliant as rewarding and enjoyable, with courses designed for quick learning sessions that can be completed in short bursts of time.

What are the platform availability options for Brilliant?

Brilliant is available on multiple platforms including computers, tablets, and phones. Users can access it through a web browser or via dedicated apps.

What is the issue the speaker has with Brilliant's computer science offerings on mobile?

The speaker finds that Brilliant's computer science courses, particularly the 'Next Steps in Python' course, have a poor user experience on mobile. Text selection and editing are problematic, making it difficult to complete coding exercises.

How does Brilliant's learning structure compare to Codecademy's?

Brilliant's courses are structured into short lessons, typically taking about 10 minutes each, which is different from Codecademy's approach. Brilliant also has a concept of streaks and leagues, adding a competitive element to the learning experience.

What is the speaker's recommendation for someone interested in learning computer science?

The speaker suggests that for computer science learning, especially coding, it might be better to look at platforms like Codecademy or LeetCode instead of Brilliant, due to Brilliant's limited and more conceptual computer science offerings.

What does the speaker appreciate about Brilliant's approach to learning?

The speaker appreciates Brilliant's ability to make learning fun and rewarding, especially in subjects like math and science, by gamifying the learning process and allowing users to learn in short, manageable sessions.

Outlines

00:00

🎶 Afro Hamurai's Return to Music and Introduction to Brilliant

Afro Hamurai, after a hiatus from uploading music, introduces the platform Brilliant in this video. Brilliant is described as a learning platform offering courses in math, computer science, and general science. The focus is predominantly on math with a variety of courses available, including statistics, logic, algebra, and geometry. The platform is accessible across multiple devices and offers both free and premium access. The premium tier, costing approximately £100/year in the UK, provides full access to the content, while the free tier allows limited daily access. Afro Hamurai also mentions the possibility of a lifetime subscription, which he considers due to his positive experience with the platform. The video promises to delve into Brilliant's offerings and compare it with other platforms like Codecademy.

05:03

💻 Brilliant's Learning Experience and Mobile Accessibility Issues

Afro Hamurai discusses the user experience of Brilliant, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses. He praises the platform for its structured learning approach, with courses broken down into manageable lessons that can be completed in short bursts, making it ideal for learning on the go. However, he criticizes the mobile experience, particularly for computer science courses, where the interface is described as 'broken'. Issues with text selection and editing on mobile devices are noted, contrasting with the smooth experience on desktop computers. Afro Hamurai also comments on the limited number of computer science courses that involve actual coding, suggesting that Brilliant is more suited for conceptual learning rather than practical coding skills. He recommends Brilliant for those interested in math and science but advises against it for those seeking comprehensive computer science education, suggesting alternatives like Codecademy or LeetCode.

10:06

🤔 Reflections on Brilliant's Value and Future Considerations

In the final paragraph, Afro Hamurai summarizes his thoughts on Brilliant, emphasizing its value for learning math and science through gamification and short, engaging lessons. He appreciates the platform's ability to make learning rewarding and enjoyable, even in short sessions. However, he reiterates his concerns about the limited computer science offerings and the subpar mobile experience for coding courses. Afro Hamurai expresses his intention to continue using Brilliant and to revisit the platform in the future, hoping for improvements in the computer science curriculum and mobile experience. He invites viewers to share their experiences with Brilliant and other learning platforms, encouraging discussion in the comments section.

Keywords

💡Afro Hamurai

Afro Hamurai is the persona or username of the video's presenter. It's a creative and memorable name that helps to brand the content creator and distinguishes the channel from others. In the script, Afro Hamurai introduces himself and mentions his absence from uploading content, which sets the stage for the video's topic.

💡Brilliant

Brilliant is the main subject of the video and refers to an educational platform offering courses in math, computer science, and science. The platform is central to the video's theme as the creator discusses its features, offerings, and his personal experience with it. For instance, the script mentions that Brilliant provides '90+ courses' and has a 'free trial' and 'premium' options.

💡Mathematics

Mathematics is a field of study that is heavily emphasized in the video as the primary focus of Brilliant's course offerings. The term is defined by its systematic treatment of quantity, structure, space, and change. In the script, the creator mentions that Brilliant offers courses in various areas of math, including 'statistics,' 'calculus,' and 'algebra,' which are central to the platform's appeal.

💡Computer Science

Computer Science is another key area covered by Brilliant, focusing on the study of computers and computing systems. The term is used in the script to discuss the platform's offerings in this field, which the creator finds somewhat lacking in comparison to math courses. The creator mentions a 'next steps in Python' course, indicating the platform's attempt to cover practical coding skills.

💡Platform

In the context of the video, a platform refers to the digital environment where users can access and engage with the content provided by Brilliant. The term is used to describe the accessibility of Brilliant across various devices like computers, tablets, and phones, emphasizing the convenience of learning on-the-go.

💡Premium

Premium, in this context, refers to a subscription tier that grants users full access to the content on Brilliant. The term is used to contrast the free version, which offers limited access. The script mentions that the premium subscription costs 'about £100/year' in the UK, indicating a financial commitment for full access to the platform's resources.

💡Lifetime Subscription

A lifetime subscription is a one-time purchase that grants the user perpetual access to the platform's content. The term is mentioned in the script as an alternative to annual premium subscriptions, suggesting a potentially more cost-effective option for long-term users of Brilliant.

💡Codecademy

Codecademy is another online learning platform mentioned in the video for comparison purposes. It is known for teaching coding skills and is used in the script to contrast with Brilliant, particularly in terms of pricing models and the accessibility of foundational courses for free.

💡Streaks and Leagues

Streaks and leagues are features of the Brilliant platform that gamify the learning experience. Streaks likely refer to consecutive days of engagement, while leagues could be a ranking system based on user performance. The script mentions these features as a way to motivate users to return to the platform and engage with the content.

💡Gamification

Gamification refers to the application of game-design elements and principles in non-game contexts, such as learning platforms. In the script, the creator discusses how Brilliant uses gamification to make learning more enjoyable and engaging, which is a key aspect of the platform's appeal.

💡Micro Break

A micro break is a short period of time during which one can take a break from work or other tasks. In the script, the term is used to describe the short duration of Brilliant's lessons, which can be completed during such breaks, making the platform suitable for quick learning sessions.

Highlights

Afro Hamurai mentions returning to music production videos after a hiatus.

Introduction to Brilliant as an educational platform offering courses in math, computer science, and general science.

Afro Hamurai's personal use of Brilliant to improve his statistics skills.

Brilliant's extensive course offerings, primarily in math, with over 90 courses available.

Availability of Brilliant on multiple platforms including computer, tablet, and phone.

Details on Brilliant's subscription model, including a free trial and premium options.

Comparison of Brilliant's pricing and features to Codecademy, another educational platform.

The structure of Brilliant's courses, with lessons designed for quick completion.

The gamification of learning on Brilliant, including streaks and leagues to motivate users.

A critique of Brilliant's computer science offerings, particularly the mobile experience.

The difference in user experience between computer and mobile platforms for coding courses on Brilliant.

Afro Hamurai's consideration of a lifetime subscription to Brilliant despite its shortcomings.

Recommendation for using Brilliant for learning math and science, but caution for computer science learners.

The rewarding nature of learning on Brilliant and its ability to fit into short breaks.

Afro Hamurai's intention to revisit Brilliant in the future to see improvements, particularly in computer science offerings.

An open call for audience feedback on their experiences with Brilliant and other educational platforms.

Transcripts

Hey everyone, it's me, the Afro Hamurai.

I know I haven't uploaded in a while, i know i haven't

uploaded music in a while, but don't worry, I've got some music production based videos coming up.

For now however, we're going to be swapping out our beats for bytes and we're going to be talking

about Brilliant!

Now the way I'm thinking of going through this video is talking about what's

available on Brilliant, why it is that you might want it, but firstly we'll talk about what Brilliant is.

Brilliant is a platform where you're able to sign up and you can go through courses based

off of either math or computer science or just science in general so there's some physics stuff

on there there's some logic based ones there's some algebra ones there's some geometry things

I've been using it for a little bit to pick up on statistics because out of all of the types of math,

I'm kind of bad at statistics. There are also some courses on computer science and on science

but Brilliant really doesn't have a lot of offerings in that. They say on their website

that they have 90+ courses and I think that most of them are in the math sort of realm, so if

you want to learn about like logic and calculations, get up with calculus, stuff like that, that seems

to be the main reason to go into Brilliant. But it does go into at least some foundational ideas

of computer science. However, there is something with their computer science offerings that I don't

like and that's something I'll get back to later in the video.

Brilliant is available over multiple different platforms

so it's on the computer, it's on the tablet, it's on the phone so you're able

to get into it. As long as you have a web browser you have access to it but they also have some apps

as well and all of the courses are available across all of those platforms.

Brilliant has, I think, a free trial and then you can try premium out. Memory says that premium is about £100/year,

here in the UK. I'm guessing that's about like $140-ish per year. You can also get a lifetime

subscription to Brilliant. I actually think I might do that because I quite like Brilliant,

even though there are some shortcomings that it has.

To compare Brilliant to another platform

that I've recently reviewed which is Codecademy, Brilliant does have a free option but is more

used as a way to preview everything so everything is kind of locked behind some form of premium

and whereas with Codecademy you can at least go into some courses for free and go through at least

some relatively foundational stuff. Brilliant Premium really just gives you access to the whole

content, the free version kind of lets you have a limited taste of it per day. However, comparing

its pricing to Codecademy you only really have one tier that gets you everything which is premium as

as opposed to having their Pro Lite and their Pro,

where you kind of have to decide

exactly what features you want.

And Brilliant's premium kind of comes up

to around about the same level as Codecademy's Pro Lite.

Also having the option to have it for a lifetime

means that really, if you're gonna use it

for at least three years and keep up to date

with the content that they're releasing,

then you're kind of quids in really.

For anyone in the US, quids in kind of means

getting your money's worth.

There you go, you're welcome.

The core structure is quite good.

So if I go into something like Computer Science Fundamentals in their Computer Science,

you'll see that they have everything almost split into a maximum of five different lessons,

sometimes a bit more, but generally that's what you're kind of looking at per section.

And they're meant to be relatively quick to do.

Each lesson, so each one of these things here, that takes about like, I would say, 10 minutes at most.

Sometimes you can even get done with them in five,

which really makes it great for you to use in short bursts, maybe if you're at work

and you're on a little bit of a micro break in between your tasks or you're on your

lunch break and you just want to really quickly go through a 5 minute, 10 minute problem,

you can use this instead of maybe just doom scrolling on, I don't know, Twitter or something

like that or whatever it is that people are using now.

Is it threads?

I think it's threads. Or Mastodon. One of them, I don't know.

Brilliant also has the idea of streaks and of leagues and genuinely it kind of makes me want to go back,

even to try out some of the simpler stuff. Just because as I start to try the simpler stuff,

I climb up in the leagues, I get more points and then I just start going into the more complicated

stuff. It does make you want to go back and actually succeed in it and I think that it

works really well. In my opinion, it works a lot better than Codecademy just because there's a

little bit of that like community and a bit of that competition that maybe is missing when you're

going through it on your own. It almost adds an extra reason for you to want to go back rather

than just having your personal accountability and having to keep yourself engaged. It works really

well, definitely. So I previously mentioned about the course offerings and that as much as Brilliant

has math and computer science and science that it mostly seems to skew towards math. Not only do I

I think that their offerings for computer science are quite thin but I feel like the experience of using those offerings on

Mobile is really not up to scratch if you want to have that

really quick experience of having a five minute session of doing some code.

I'm currently in the middle of Brilliant's next steps in Python course in their computer science category and on the phone

It's completely broken and really that's that's the only way I can really put it

You try and select text. It's fine if you tap on the text the like

Cursor just seems to be a bit weird where it decides to go, but it eventually seems to work

However, if you do the thing on your phone where you hold the spacebar to go around

Yeah, and that completely breaks the text box

You have to go out and then back in and then you can type again, so if you'e typed

in the wrong place and you want to like backspace from somewhere you either have to backspace from the entire end

of the line which is really annoying or you have to just keep tapping until you

get to the point that you want to select and then you can go backwards. Not even

like tapping and holding to move worked, that just didn't work at all for me.

Looking at that exact same course on the computer works completely normal

because it's just seen as a normal text box so I could do what I need to do as

normal with the keyboard. For these courses it really feels like the

experience on the computer is objectively better than the experience

on the phone, which is different than all of the other courses that I've had because all the rest

of those just have buttons, right? Because of that, it really feels like Brilliant is great

if you want to learn on the go, but only if it's really for math. If it's going to be for computer

science or like science like physics and so on where you have to do more typing, that's when

the experience really skews towards being better on desktop than it is on mobile, which is a shame.

I wish that they would look at improving that a bit more so that way it feels a lot more

fluid and a lot smoother.

Also in terms of computer science offerings, there's only really two or three actual

courses that I found when I started with Brilliant that actually went into coding.

Now of course, they may be adding more courses, in which case this could easily be out of

date and there could be enough that you would feel like, yeah, actually, this is completely

fine.

But for now, this is kind of how it feels.

just feels like it's a three- quarter experience.

So to summarise, who would I suggest Brilliant for

and would I suggest it anyway? Well, if you're someone who wants to use Brilliant as a platform

to learn computer science, unless you're fine with learning it conceptually and maybe you were

to stick at it for one or two months, that's all I would suggest Brilliant for. Like, I wouldn't

suggest getting an entire year's Brilliant for computer science because they don't have that

many computer science offerings and the offerings that they do have really only cover concepts from

what I've seen as opposed to actually learning languages and using those to code. So if that's

what you wanted to do with Brilliant then you're likely going to be better off looking at something

like Codecademy or looking at something like LeetCode instead. If you're the sort of person

that likes to learn however and you know I like to learn I think Brilliant is great. It would almost

be brilliant.

What's great about brilliant is that it does make it fun to learn things

like math and like science and even the concepts of computer science by gamifying it a little

bit but also making it so that way you don't have to spend ages going very deep into stuff.

Sometimes it can be hard to get into a book or an online course because it feels like

you have to spend at least half an hour to an hour per time, whereas with Brilliant's

courses on math and science and computer science, yeah you can spend 10 minutes and still come away

feeling like you've learned something and you can spend the five minutes doing their little

practice puzzles and so on and feel like you've gotten something out of it. It's great to feel

like you're able to go into the app or onto the website, spend not a huge amount of time

and really feel like you're able to get a lot out of it. It's really rewarding. That's something that

I can definitely say Brilliant has over the other platforms that I've used. It's just rewarding.

I'm still going to be using it and I still will use it for the computer science stuff, so you know,

if maybe in a year's time or so the computer science experience gets better on mobile

and also they offer you much more courses in that aspect, I'll come back and I'll do another review

and I'll say, "Hey, Brilliant's gotten a lot better. Maybe it's worth it for that now." But yeah,

you know, if it's math, if it's science, if you like to learn, give Brilliant a try at least.

I would definitely say it's a good platform for that. If it's just computer science and just code,

yeah, I'd maybe give this a bit of a pass and try something else. But tell me what you think.

But tell me what you think. Have you used Brilliant? Have you given it a try? Have you seen the adverts and seen

some of the stuff from there? You know, let me know in the description below.

Yeah, I will read your comments.

I will read them. I'm not sure whether I'll make a follow-up video but I'll at least read them.

But yeah, let me know in the comments. Have you tried Brilliant? Do you like it? Have you

tried some of the other services and do you have any extra things to add on that maybe I missed

out like pop it into the comments it will help someone probably. Maybe. Yeah.

Cool.