Why I built et al.

I built et al. because I read a lot online and kept wishing I could save the parts I wanted to reference later. A lot of that reading happened while I was working on my PhD, going through article after article. I do most of my reading in Safari on my Mac, and I could never find a tool that worked reliably there — there are options for other browsers, but in my experience they tend to be hit or miss. The ones I tried did more than I needed, asked me to create an account, or kept my notes on their own servers. I just wanted to highlight a passage, write a quick note, and find it again — with everything staying on my Mac. So I decided to make it myself.

et al. is made by et al Labs, a small independent studio I run in Baltimore. I have a PhD in human-centered computing and over ten years of experience in UX design, research, and product management, so I think a lot about how software should feel to use. et al. is the tool I use every day, and I built it for the kind of careful reading that matters to me.

If what you read is worth coming back to, et al. is for you. I made it with researchers, students, and writers in mind, but anyone who likes to save what they read will find it helpful.

A few things I built in from the start: there’s no account to create, I don’t collect anything about you, and your highlights and notes stay on your devices. When et al. reaches the App Store it will be a single purchase covering Mac, iPhone, and iPad, not a subscription. And if you write to me, you’ll hear back from me.

et al. is about saving what you read online and coming back to it, with everything staying on your devices. That’s part of a bigger goal for et al Labs: to build tools that help people think, learn, and create without giving up their privacy. et al. is the first one.