Overview
I’ve always been frustrated by information overload. As someone who reads dozens of articles daily for work and research, I found myself constantly battling with lengthy content, switching between tabs, and searching YouTube for visual explanations. This frustration sparked an idea that eventually became SumItUp – a Chrome extension that’s now an essential part of my daily workflow.
The Genesis of SumItUp
It all started last winter during a particularly intense research project. I was juggling between reading academic papers and watching tutorial videos, constantly context-switching and losing focus. “There has to be a better way,” I thought.
I wanted something that could:
- Quickly summarize lengthy articles without losing key points
- Find relevant videos without interrupting my flow
- Work seamlessly across different websites
With my background in web development and a newfound interest in browser extensions, I decided to build the solution myself.
Building the Extension
The development process was both challenging and rewarding. I started with a simple prototype that could detect text-heavy pages and offer a basic summary. The first version was rough around the edges – the summaries were hit-or-miss, and the UI was basic at best.
The breakthrough came when I integrated multiple AI providers. Different content needed different summarization approaches, and giving users choice between OpenAI, Google Gemini, Azure, and Anthropic Claude made the extension much more versatile.
One technical challenge I’m particularly proud of solving was the content detection algorithm. Determining which pages are “text-heavy” enough to warrant summarization without triggering on inappropriate sites took considerable fine-tuning. The solution involves analyzing text-to-code ratios and filtering out navigation elements – simple in concept but complex in execution.
The “Aha!” Moment
My favorite feature, and the one that users consistently praise, is the related videos functionality. While testing an early version, I was reading an article about quantum computing, and the extension suggested a brilliant explanatory video that clarified concepts I’d been struggling with for days. That moment convinced me I was building something genuinely useful.
Initially, this feature required users to provide their own YouTube API key, but feedback showed this was a barrier to adoption. I reworked the system to make the YouTube API optional, with a clever fallback that creates direct search links when no API key is available.
Lessons From User Feedback
Early users quickly pointed out issues I hadn’t considered:
- People wanted keyboard shortcuts for quick access (now Alt+S by default)
- Many preferred a floating button rather than a permanent sidebar
- Some sites would break the extension’s styling
Addressing these concerns meant diving deep into event handling, DOM manipulation, and cross-site compatibility. Each fix made the extension more robust and user-friendly.
One memorable piece of feedback came from a college professor who uses SumItUp to quickly assess whether an article would be valuable for his students. He described how it saves him hours each week – exactly the kind of impact I’d hoped for.
What’s Next for SumItUp
The extension continues to evolve. I’m currently working on:
- Implementing a highlighting system for key points in the original text
- Adding export options for summaries
- Creating a mobile companion app
I’m most excited about exploring how we can make the video recommendations even more targeted. The current approach works well, but I believe we can create an even tighter integration between written and video content.
Try It Yourself
If you’re drowning in content like I was, SumItUp might be the lifeline you need. It’s available on the Chrome Web Store, and I’d love to hear how it works for you.
While there are other summary tools out there, SumItUp’s combination of AI-powered text summarization and intelligent video discovery makes it uniquely powerful for comprehensive learning.
Building this extension has been a labor of love – something that solved my own problem first but has grown to help many others. That’s the kind of project that keeps me excited about software development.
What tools have you discovered (or built) that changed your productivity? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
Note: SumItUp requires API keys for the AI provider of your choice. These keys stay on your device and are never shared with anyone else, ensuring your content remains private and secure.
