Inspiration
In a world brimming with information, we realized that a significant portion of the global population, especially those with disabilities, face challenges in accessing and understanding online content. We were inspired by stories from friends with colorblindness/hearingloss and seniors who felt overwhelmed by dense pages of content. Our aim was to bridge this gap and provide a simplified, accessible browsing experience.
What it does
Colorblind Mode: Adjusts webpage colors for enhanced visibility and clarity. Text to Speech: Converts on-screen text into clear, audible speech. Page Summaries: Condenses lengthy pages into succinct, comprehensible summaries. Learning Tool: Enables users to learn more about the topics on their current web page.
How we built it
We started with user research to understand the specific pain points faced by individuals with disabilities. Utilizing JavaScript and Chrome API, we developed the core functionalities. For the Text to Speech feature. Openai's API was employed to generate accurate and concise page summaries along with teaching users.
Challenges we ran into
Building an AI-driven summary tool was a significant challenge, ensuring it delivers accurate and contextually relevant summaries. Adjusting colors for various types of colorblindness required in-depth research and multiple iterations. Integration of these features to work seamlessly on diverse websites posed initial challenges. We also ran into the challenge of sleep deprivation, that one did not get fixed.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We're immensely proud of the every feature we were able to complete. The feedback for the Learning Tool has been overwhelming, but worth it in the end. We are also proud we finished with an asthetic, complete project.
What we learned
Beyond the technical learnings, we gained insights into the importance of inclusivity in the digital realm. We understood the diverse needs of users and learned the importance of continual feedback and iteration.
What's next for Surfsimpli
We want to push to the chrome web store. We're looking to expand Surfsimpli's capabilities by including a dyslexic-friendly font option and multilingual support for the Text to Speech feature. Feedback-driven improvements and compatibility expansions to other browsers are also on the horizon.
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