Explano

What is Explano?

Explano is a minimalist business annotation and meeting notes tool that lives directly on the pages you work with.

Instead of switching between tabs, documents, and note apps, Explano lets you highlight text, add notes, dictate ideas, and track meeting decisions in context.

Your data stays local by default, with optional Chrome Sync to keep recent notes available across devices.

Core Concepts -

- Local-first: Notes are stored in your browser, not on external servers.
- Contextual: Highlights are anchored to page text whenever possible.
- Meeting-aware: Capture actions, decisions, and notes during live meetings.

Exportable: Turn raw annotations into clean summaries.

How It Works

1. Floating Toolbar (On Any Page)

Explano adds a small, collapsible toolbar to supported webpages:

- Highlight selected text
- Add notes (free-form or structured)
- Dictate speech into notes (when supported by the browser)
- Enable meeting mode
- Open the sidebar to review everything
- Keyboard shortcuts are available for fast capture (H, N, D, M, B).

2. Annotation Types

Explano supports multiple annotation types:

Highlights – anchored to selected text
Notes – free-form written notes
Speech notes – dictated content
Meeting items – notes captured while meeting mode is active

Each item includes:

- Timestamp
- Optional speaker
- Tags
- Meeting association
- Resolved / unresolved status

3. Meeting Mode (Built for Real Meetings)

Turn on Meeting Mode to:

- Group notes under a meeting session
- Automatically build meeting summaries
- Track Decisions, Actions, and Notes
- Assign speakers and switch speakers quickly
- Mark items as resolved

Meeting summaries can be viewed directly in the sidebar or exported.

4. Sidebar: Review, Filter, and Analyze

The sidebar lets you:

- Search all annotations on the current page

Filter by:

- Meeting vs notes
- Type (highlight, note, speech)
- Status (open / resolved)
- Tags
- Speakers

Switch views:

- List
- Transcript
- Timeline
- Analytics (counts by speaker and status)

This makes Explano usable both during and after meetings.

5. Export Your Work

Explano includes flexible export options:

- Meeting Summary
- Full Notes
- Highlights Only

Formats supported:

- Markdown
- JSON
- CSV
- HTML (print to PDF)
- DOC (Word-compatible)

Exports are generated locally - no uploads required.

6. Sync (Optional)

Explano can optionally use Chrome Sync to keep recent annotations available across signed-in devices.

- Sync is off by default
- Local storage remains the source of truth
- Only recent items are synced due to Chrome quotas
- Can be disabled anytime

Who Is Explano For?

- HR
- Product managers
- Consultants
- Founders
- Researchers
- Teachers
- Marketers
- Business managers
- Anyone who takes notes while reading, reviewing, or meeting online

Privacy & Data

- No external servers
- No accounts
- No tracking
- Your data stays in your browser

Explano - Local-first annotations and meeting notes, right where you work.