Tone It Down

Inspiration

The inspiration for Tone it Down comes from the need for clear and kinder digital communication. In an age where tone is often misinterpreted, we created an app to adjust for nuances so users don't come across as overly harsh or formal over text. Our goal was to make online interactions smoother and more empathetic, especially for non-native speakers and those who struggle with expressing or interpreting intent through text. Ultimately, Tone it Down aims to bridge the gap between how a text is written and how it is received.

What it does

Tone it Down is a Google Chrome extension that allows users to refine the tone of their messages. The extension uses Gemini Nano to adjust their text to sound friendlier or more professional, depending on the user's chosen context. The user can either input their text directly into the extension, or send highlighted text to the extension directly through a context menu.

How we built it

We built Tone it Down using a combination of React and Vite for the frontend interface, Gemini Nano's prompt API for the backend, and Google Chrome's runtime API to manage the interaction between the app content and the prompt API. Since Gemini Nano cannot currently be fine-tuned, we relied on extensive prompt engineering to customize the responses.

Challenges we ran into

Initially, we envisioned an extension that could be fine-tuned based on the user's preferences and history. To do this, we attempted to integrate a custom LLM using Transformers.js and the Bert classification model. However, compatibility issues with the Chrome extension framework posed significant challenges. Ultimately, we pivoted to rely on prompt engineering and a smaller curated dataset, prioritizing functionality and reliability.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud of successfully integrating the Gemini Nano prompt API into our extension, enabling real-time tone refinement. Additionally, our ability to adapt and overcome challenges—particularly with prompt engineering—was a key highlight of this project.

What we learned

This project taught us a lot about troubleshooting compatibility between various tools and APIs. For all of us, this was our first time working with React, making the learning curve both steep and rewarding.

What's next for Tone It Down

• More nuanced tone options, such as motivational, empathetic, etc.
• Integrating fine-tuning models based on user's activity or context
• Integrating with specific tools such as gmail or slack, giving the extension context from the surrounding messages
• Expanding to different languages, which could be accomplished using the translation API
• Incorporation of the rewrite API (not working at time of submission)

Built With

• javascript
• react
• vite